The return of exclusive dining rooms on ships

Back in the days of the Titanic and other grande dames of trans-Atlantic travel, exclusive dining rooms for First and Second Class passengers were a common site on ships. Never would the passengers of premium cabins have to mix with the Great Unwashed of the steerage class.

Is the concept making a comeback? As we mentioned last week, Celebrity plans an exclusive dining room on its next ship, the Celebrity Solstice. The 130-seat eatery, dubbed Blu, will be the private domain of passengers in AquaClass, an exclusive new category of cabins aimed at spa lovers. And, as our colleague Carolyn Spencer Brown of cruisecritic.com reminded us this week, European line Costa Cruises also has been adding exclusive dining rooms for passengers in its premium spa cabins on its most recent ships.

The lines are taking a cue from Cunard, which has long assigned passengers who book the best cabins on its ships to exclusive dining rooms.

For the most part, Cunard's class system for dining has been an exception. One of the hallmarks of the modern era of cruising has been the come-one, come-all approach to dining rooms and other public areas on ships. And still today on most modern cruise ships, every passenger -- whether staying in the lowliest inside cabin or the grandest suite -- is welcome in every restaurant on board (including so-called alternative restaurants that require an extra payment).

For the record, Celebrity CEO Dan Hanrahan tells us that passengers who aren't in AquaClass will be able to book a night in AquaClass' exclusive Blu dining room "on a space available basis." That said, the odds aren't great, as there are just enough seats in the room for passengers in AquaClass.

Tell us, Cruise Loggers, what do you think about exclusive dining rooms? With ships getting bigger, allowing for more space for multiple dining rooms on ships, is this a concept whose time has come?