All Meals in RS cabin?

[rogerdm]

Would that be frowned upon if I ate breakfast and dinner in my suite? I would of course tip accordingly.

[ocngypz]

No.. but wouldn't it be kinda lonely????

[thomasale]

why???

[Stanley]

Why would you want to do that? Are you a traveling salesman and used to eating alone?

[rogerdm]

I do prefer to eat alone. I would like to mingle during the day, go to the martini bar, etc. I don't like the feeling of eating in a cafeteria.(please no flames) I envision a large room with long tables that feed hundreds of people at a time and that does not appeal to me. I may change my mind, but I do want the choice. I especially don't want to wear a tux in the cafeteria. I may have this all wrong, correct me please, politely. I have never cruised and have two booked in a rs, so I could have that privilege.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I have seen it done before. It's your suite for the cruise...I would definitely make a plan with the butler ahead of time and see if you have his full cooperation. If the butler seems capable then you might want to "grease the skids" as they say in the ship building business...tip him up front and continue to tip him a bit every other day...just to keep his interest.

 

I can remember one cruise when the couple next to us did not come out of their suite for the first 5 days!!! They wouldn't even come out while the maids cleaned the room!!! They even had friends come in to visit them from time to time.

 

"Chacune a son goute"

 

ROSS

[rogerdm]

I didn't want to come across as being "stand-offish" or anti-social. How much should I tip the butler each day, and then at the end to keep his attention? On the first cruise, I may have some of my family join me at the table.

[tuggers]

But what you would miss! First there are no,'long tables'. There are tables for 2, 4 6. 8 and 10 with probably more in the 6 and 8 catagory. Most, if not all, are round or oval. People are seated and the napkin is placed in your lap. A server pours water and inquires about your choice of beverage. A tablemate asks about your day, the waiter asks about your day, the conversation gently progresses to menu choices and wine selections until everyone has ordered and then somehow finds its way back to the ship, the excursions, the plans for tomorrow and then general conversation about where everyone is from, etc. Once the food begins to arrive, that dominates the chit chat. It is not an unpleasant experience. There will be talking and laughing and great commeraderie. You will enjoy these people and if, God forbid, by some chance you don't, just tell the matre d' you require a different table. The dining room will have the same attmosphere as a very nice restaurant and by the second or third night your tablemates will be like joining old friends. Please do not give up this experience! It is one of the most important parts of your cruise. Feel free to email me off board if you have any other questions: tuggers1@mchsi.com

[rogerdm]

I would like someone like you on my cruises. Your writing has a very calm demeanor and I like that! I'll bet you and your husband must be great table mates to others. Hmm, I'm thinking....

[cruisead]

Do you go to lovely restaurants in your area? Then think of the Celebrity dining experience in that way. It's not like going into a McDonalds or a high school cafeteria. You're not going to see long tables like you sometimes do at a wedding. You're going to see elegantly set tables, fine linens, candles and flowers on the table. You'll see low lighting and you'll hear soft music played by live musicians. In the buffet area, there aren't long lines of tables, either. They are separate tables or booths that are brightly lit and have a wonderful view of the ocean. I don't know where you got your notions of cruise dining, but they are in no way anywhere near what you seem to think it is. Yes, you can have every meal in your cabin, but believe me when I say you're going to miss out on some of the best experiences of your cruise. And no matter what people tell you, when you dine in your cabin for dinner, it's not going to be the same. We did it once, and the food was delivered lukewarm and just didn't taste the same as it is when it's served directly from the kitchen in the dining room.

 

Oh, and BTW, even if you dine in your room, Celebrity asks that if you go into any public areas like the lounges, casino or show lounges after dinner, you dress in the dress code of the evening. I guess what I'm saying is if you're chosing not to dine in the dining room for dinner because you don't want to dress according to the dress code, then know that unless you plan on staying in the casual area of the ship every evening or in your cabin, then you still have to dress for the code. On our Mille and Galaxy cruises, we saw very, very few people in the public areas after 6pm, not dressed appropriately.

 

Also, if you still want to dine in your room for dinner every night, tell the head waiter so your seats can be assigned to someone else for the week. It wouldn't be fair to the waiter and assistant waiter for your assigned table to have a place ready for you and then you don't dine there for the week. These hard workers rely on tips, and to have empty seats for the week means less cash for them.

[venango]

It's your cruise,enjoy it. I'll be in a sky suite on my next cruise and might try this. As far as tipping the butler in advance,I don't know. I would tip at the end. It's part of his services and have read on some threads that they are offended if you try to tip in advance.

[tuggers]

Well, I'm not sure my EX husband would agree, but thanks anyway! I think you will find a lot of very lovely people to dine with on your cruise. Just give it a chance. I feel confident that it will be a good experience. I wish you were on any of our (my friend Earl and I) cruises because we would grab you for our table. We're booked on 9/17 Galaxy, 10/13 Horizon, 12/4 Century and 1/2 Zenith! I know you would have lots of fun with us! We always go on the roll calls and meet everyone so that by the time we board the ship we know people. Then we go to the CC party and put faces with the people we've been emailing and that's fun. We usually end up with some of those people at our dinner table. I have been fortunate to meet some very good and lasting friends on cruises. One couple has invited me to go to Costa Rica with them in March.

You just never know and it would be a shame to miss out.

 

I hope when you get back, you let me know how it worked out!

[goouchjac]

Would that be frowned upon if I ate breakfast and dinner in my suite? I would of course tip accordingly.

But why would you want to do that,,it's so nice to get dressed in the evening and have dinner in the dining room(which is not long tables, cafeteria style),,think you would be missing out...:(

[ABSCruiseLuvers]

Well do both...I would love to dine alone with my wife in a RS if we ever have one. But not every night. I love getting dressed and going out to eat, same thing on a ship. My wife and I are both in sales so we love the time alone on a cruise and most times get a table for two, but it's still such fun to go down to the dining room and see all the other people having such a great time. It's just part of the cruise to me, a good part. But I can see how it could also be great in your RS so as I said, try both and be sure to let us know how it turns out.

[cruiseyguy]

I'm pretty social and enjoy dining in the main restaurant of the ship but if I had an RS, with butler service, nice dining table and huge balcony I think I, too, would want to enjoy the experience of dining on my own terms several nights. If I met some people I liked on the ship I would invite them to join me for a private dinner party. Or maybe just invite myself for a martini, turn on the wide screen plasma TV and enjoy a good movie over caesar salad, filet mignon, creme brulee and a nice red wine while dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. Yeah, that all sounds really good!

[Candlelight]

We just returned from Alaska in a Mercury RS, and I would urge Roger to try breakfast in his cabin...the butler brings the food you want (and you can ask for anything, even what's being served in the dining room or cafeteria) at the time you request, sets out china and glasses, brings you cappucino or espresso from the Cova Cafe (free for suite passengers when delivered by the butler), brings pastries, hot tea or coffee, fruit, basically anything you think of. And the best part is, you can be sitting there in your living room IN YOUR PAJAMAS while he does all this.

 

Regarding your idea of having family members join you for meals in the cabin, depending on the butler, he may give you some attitude about this, since, strictly speaking, those family members or not HIS passengers and they just mean extra work for him. Once or twice, no problem. But if it's every day. the "greasing the skids" idea is not a bad one.

 

Regarding your fear of the dining room, a couple of points: 1. I have NEVER failed to meet interesting people in the cafeteria or for lunch in the dining room (lunch is "open seating" in the main dining room--no assigned seats, in other words) by walking up to a table with the number of open seats I need and simply smiling and saying "Do you mind if we join you?" I have never been told "no". 2. The assigned seating for dinner in the dining room might possibly be a little awkward for a few minutes on the first evening, but I've never failed to find people at the table who turn out to be great traveling companions. 3. You mention family is on board: Be aware that as a suite passenger (particularly in a RS), you have priority seating in the dining room: You can request a table for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or ANY NUMBER IN BETWEEN. If you need a table for 5, make sure your travel agent includes your dining preferences and the names or booking numbers of the the passengers that you want placed at your table, and by gosh, you'll get a table for 6 with only 5 place setting on it.

 

One other hint: if you're worried about meeting people, get a LARGE table (8 or 10), not a table for 4. With 4 other couples at the table, your chances of making a "match" is higher than if there is only 1 other couple.

 

And my final word about this: If you don't want to dress up on formal nights (and there are people like this, I'm just not one of them) but don't feel like dining in your cabin, look for something called "Alternative Casual Dining" in the daily program. The menu is slightly more limited, but no coats or ties will be required. On the downside, they charge you a couple of bucks for this dining venue. But if you wanted to dine in your cabin, go to the dining room in the mid-afternoon (after lunch is finished) and the menu for dinner will be posted. Then tell the butler what you want, and you'll get anything being served in the dining room brought (and served) elegantly in your suite.

 

Hope this helps.

[morriscats]

Rogerdm,

Are you traveling alone? And you don't have to wear a tux - not even on formal night. A dark suit would be just fine. We have seen a lot of singles travelers and they seem to pair you up with the same (they probably would not seat you at a table with a family) and it would be a great way to meet people. There is so much going on, you don't have to worry about making conversation - I hope you try it. How lucky though to have a RS - my DH and I are hoping to be able to afford that someday. But we are happy just cruising. Have a great time.

Karen

[Kevbear]

Rogerdm,

 

We also are in an RS for the upcoming Summit and have had the same debate and had decided the dinners we would want to meet and mingle. Breakfasts would be in our PJ's enjoying the perks of the suite and lunches would be a toss-up with how we felt that day. Go with what you guys feel like... we sure are going to do just that! :D

[siam]

We have been fortunate to have made our last several cruises in a Royal Suite and we do prefer to have our breakfast in the suite or on our veranda, weather permiting. We always eat in the Dining Room for dinner and if we are aboard at lunch time vary between Buffet, Dining Room, and Suite. We pay for the pleasure of the Suite so we enjoy it.

[sueclark]

We are usually in a Royal Suite and have almost all meals there. The usual exceptions are the first night, to meet our assigned tablemates and to explain why we will be missing most nights; and the formal nights when we enjoy the ambience of the public areas.

 

We're not really anti-social, just prefer time alone together.

 

We always tip our Butler well.

[StephenJohnson]

My 2 cents worth:

 

By all means eat all your meals in your suite (or Cabin for that matter) if you like.

I wouldn't choose to, and I think you're under a radical misapprehension regarding the Dining Room, but please yourself.

 

Tipping would be at the end of the cruise, like always, IMAO.

[ecowen]

It's your cruise,enjoy it. I'll be in a sky suite on my next cruise and might try this. As far as tipping the butler in advance,I don't know. I would tip at the end. It's part of his services and have read on some threads that they are offended if you try to tip in advance.

Just so you're not dissapointed when you get there, you should know that there is no dining table in a Sky Suite. Eating means squatting around a small coffee table which is fine for breakfast but I couldn't see having dinner that way.

 

Eating on the balcony is an option if you are the 12th deck of a Century-class ship, because you get a full-sized dining table.

 

The Royal Suites have dining tables. . .I was lucky enough to stay in one once, and ate breakfast en-suite most days. But never dinner--I like the experience of eating in the main dining room too much.

[WeBeCruisin']

My wife and I are both somewhat introverted (at least we see ourselves that way) and prefer not to dine with strangers. However, on a cruise, we definitely prefer to eat in the dining room at a large table, rather than eating in the room (too much like being at home) or dining alone, although we love each other's company. The key is that with a table for six, eight, or ten, you're only dining with strangers for about 20 minutes. From that point on, it's like dining with compatible friends. And you do have many things in common with your tablemates.... you're sharing the same experience and often the same excursions, and it's very interesting to compare notes on what you've done during the day and hear others' interpretations of the same experiences you've just had, especially when their impression is different from yours. It's also very informative to hear others' opinions and evaluations of other cruise itineraries and cruise lines. We've been on eight cruises and have never had noncompatible tablemates and have never considered changing tables or asking for a private table for two. It's hard to describe, but after the first night, your tablemates and you form a special little "community" and it's great to run into each other in the ports or in different venues of the ship and share your experiences. In addition, your waiter and the beverage steward can answer questions about items on the menu and often point you towards a new, delicious, entree or dessert which you might not have considered otherwise. For us, the dining room experience definitely enhances and enriches the cruising experience. And, again, we are not necessarily "people" persons.

[flagger]

It is your cruise and your money. You should eat wherever you are comfortable. Having all meals served in bed over a week really sounds like a wonderful plan. Believe me we considered it.

[Randyk47]

As many have said you certainly can eat in your cabin. We have an RS booked for our Galaxy cruise but will be eating in the dining room. I'm the "social animal" and my wife has gotten used to the idea. Our first cruise we were at a table for 4 and met a charming couple who are still our friends to this day. Last cruise was a table for 8 and we correspond with all the couples. I'd suggest you try the dining room and if you don't like it then don't go again. We don't do a lot of dinner parties or go out to restuarants with friends when we're home so the cruise is kind of a break from the routine.