Dinner
On your Sign and Sail card, you'll see what time and dining room you've been assigned as well as your table. We had asked for early seating, but they gave us the latest seating in the Vista, one of the Celebration's two dining rooms. We decided it didn't really matter. Turns out, I think we preferred the late seating. You didn't waste any daylight hours getting ready for dinner. On the other hand, we didn't make any of the midnight buffets because we were still full. One exception was the buffet where they carve food to look like birds, fish, etc. They open it for a half-hour just for show and we went and looked at it. Remarkable!
On your first night, be sure to go to dinner. If you go a few minutes early, there will be a line waiting for the dining room to open. The trick is to go about 3 minutes after your seating so you won't have to wait in line. Once the dining room opens, the line clears almost immediately. The Maitre'd (Joseph) or one of his assistants will check your card to make sure you are in the right place (they don't do that after the first night). Someone will direct you to your table. We had one of the 8-seat tables by the window which was great. That meant we were sitting with 3 other couples, so you have instant shipboard friends.
You'll have a head waiter and an assistant waiter. These guys have only a few tables and will wait on you hand and foot. Our head waiter, Andrew, was very good to us and gave A+ service. He was full of jokes and very entertaining. He would fold animals from napkins and do magic tricks at the table.
Keep an open mind in the dining room. When the waiter suggests something, try it! We tried several things we wouldn't have normally had and liked them all. Better still, you aren't paying for it (well, you aren't paying extra for it) so if you don't like it, don't worry about it. Your waiter will bring you something else! In fact, Andrew would often bring us things to try without us asking or because he heard us mention it. Don't plan on losing weight onboard unless you are going to spend most of your time in the gym.
The meals are gourmet and you'll select several courses. On formal night, one of the entrees was lobster tail. When I asked Andrew for the lobster he asked me if I didn't want to try the prime rib, also. Well, how could I say no? Then he brought me an "extra" lobster. Just for the record, one of the other gentlemen at the table also had two lobsters and prime rib, so I didn't feel too much like a pig.
It is hard to go wrong with any of the fresh seafood. It was all excellent. The Caribbean pepper pot, sounded odd, but was delicious. The "starters" (appetizers) were very good. Also, most nights you could order one of the entrees as a starter (you had to look carefully at the menu to see this). The deserts were uniformly good! On one night, they brought out baked Alaska without being asked. On our last night they brought out a Grande Mariner soufflé that was incredible. Of course, on those nights they'll still bring you anything off the desert menu also. You're on vacation -- who says you can't have two deserts?
Breakfast is always the same (lots of choices, though; try the eggs benedict). The lunch menu is less formal and lighter (a small portion of seafood, gourmet burgers, fish and chips). But the dinner menu is the showpiece with dishes like prime rib, chateau briand, escargot, and elaborate sea food dishes. There are always a few "light" selections on each menu. I actually had the "light" desert for lunch one day (a sugar-free mousse) and it was pretty good!
The waiters often do some sort of show for dinner. One night, they led us all (well, most all of us) in a conga line one night. Just silly fun.
If you want to go early or late to breakfast or lunch, that is usually not a problem. Also, if you show up for breakfast without your partner, the waiter will offer to send something back! Dinner is usually packed, so it might be a problem if you want to eat at different time.
However, you can always go to the Wheelhouse, get pizza, or order room service. There is also a sushi bar on the Promenade which has limited hours. Room service was somewhat slow (it is a big ship) and the menu is limited, but good. If you hang the door hanger out for breakfast the night before, your coffee and breakfast will be right on time. Remember, room service is free, so why not?
The waiters get part of the daily tip that the line automatically deducts from your account. You can adjust the tip up or down, but I suspect there are some advantages (to the waiter) to tipping the waiters directly. On the last full day, I asked the waiter for some tip envelopes at lunch. At dinner, I gave them each something extra in the envelopes.
OK, so that's enough about the dining room. Look on the next page to find out about other shipboard activities.