Comparison: Blu vs. Luminae

Having just returned from a cruise with Luminae as our suite specialty restaurant, we wonder if Blu compares in any way to this fantastic dining venue. We have booked an aqua class cabin and are considering doing just that on our next cruise. Somewhere I read that it is possible to dine in Liminae for an extra charge...has anyone ever done that?

Trish

You may dine there if you go as a guest with someone in a suite for $50 per guest.

You may dine there if you go as a guest with someone in a suite for $50 per guest.

And charged to the suite guest. Breakfast and lunch are a smaller charge.

We liked Blu better than Luminae on a recent cruise on Millennium but I think we are in the minority.

We enjoy both Blu and Luminae.

IMHO Luminae is a bit of a slower dining experience than Blu. We can be in and out of Blu in 1hr 15 min if we want. In Luminae it was close to 2 hrs. Luminae is quieter than Blu, although Blu is clearly much quieter than the MDR. Being able to order from the MDR menu in Luminae expands the menu options a plus for me as I can't eat seafood.

We've eaten in Blu for 5 cruises (as a suite guest) and once in Luminae. Before our first cruise with Luminae we were telling ourselves that we'd probably alternate between the two.

We never set foot in Blu.

It is possible to speed up the service if you want to, in Luminae. Just tell them. We did on one particular evening.

We do love Blu and think it's a wonderful venue. Once we had eaten there we never ate in the main dining room again.

They are both great dining experiences, but Luminae is definitely more upscale.

We like them both, will reserve a suite whenever possible because we like Luminae more but if it weren't possible we would book Aqua so we could have Blu, don't think you can go wrong either way....

They are very different in many ways but they are both good venues with good ambiance, very good to excellent service and both are FAR preferable to the MDR in our opinion.

We have only eaten in Blu on a few occasions [a little more for breakfast] but have two cruises [17-nights and 14-nights] in Luminae. IMHO there is no comparison.

On M-class ships the rooms are similar but I really dislike the room for Blu on S-class ships. I find it to be like a large, stark canteen.

The service in Luminae is light-years better than Blu and, in our opinion, the food is so much better. There were one or two menu items we enjoyed in Blu but the Lumniae versions blow them out of the water.

We have not tried to bring guests into Luminae but Cruise Critic wisdom is that [except for accompanying children] you are unlikely to be able to do that for a whole cruise. Thus, even if you are travelling with suite guests, it is not an alternative dining choice for Aqua Class guests.

We've tried both and prefer Blu, definitely as a daily option.

Luminae was very nice, we've had some exceptional meals there, but the food was too heavy to our liking.

Service was very comparable (we didn't make special requests in either, I can imagine they go further in Luminae)

Decor in Luminae was very nice but Blu feels more modern and light.

We have only eaten in Blu on a few occasions [a little more for breakfast] but have two cruises [17-nights and 14-nights] in Luminae. IMHO there is no comparison.

 

On M-class ships the rooms are similar but I really dislike the room for Blu on S-class ships. I find it to be like a large, stark canteen.

 

The service in Luminae is light-years better than Blu and, in our opinion, the food is so much better. There were one or two menu items we enjoyed in Blu but the Lumniae versions blow them out of the water.

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While I agree with you that the food is better in Luminae, I think your stating the "S" class Blu's look "like a large, stark canteen" really doesn't do the rooms justice at all. Of course, to each his own opinion, but we find Blu to be very attractive on the "S" class, bright and airy, and the ambiance has always been great. I know some don't like the row of "two tops" at the window but we ALWAYS sat at one in the center of the room and loved it. If not for the emergence of Luminae we would still be booking Aqua so that we could dine in Blu each night. The service, to us, in both, has been great. The food is certainly a step or two or three up in Luminae, no doubt, but if one is not able to afford a suite then Blu on either class of ship is a great alternative.......in our opinion.

Ambience: I like the colors of Blu - very pretty venue - blue is my color. The seating was close, though we met some fun people because of that. Blu seemed very busy the last cruise we were in there, with a more rushed atmosphere. Luminae is elegant with the seating much better suited for a quiet dinner for 2.

Staff: Luminae wins for service, in our experience - the staff seem to be the cream of the crop. Almost every single person would stop by to say hi each time we were there (or at least smile and say hi as they went by). They all seemed to take responsibility for the service, working together to make things go smoothly.

Food: Hit or miss in Blu on some occasions, with fewer misses in Luminae. We liked a few things in Blu very much, but overall the food in Luminae was superb and there was also the option to order MDR food.

We actually liked breakfast in Luminae better than Blu. The Eggs Benedict were spot on in Luminae. We also liked the mango smoothies in Luminae (I don't remember Blu's smoothies as being as good). They both serve the nasty tea (and I did ask if we could have the better tea from Café al Bacio).

Lunch in Luminae was excellent, though you have to pace yourself - it is a lot of food. All in all, I did not find the food in Blu light or the Luminae food heavy, but it may be what we ordered.

Overall, I think Blu is a nice venue with lots of positives, but Luminae hits it out of the park.

While I agree with you that the food is better in Luminae, I think your stating the "S" class Blu's look "like a large, stark canteen" really doesn't do the rooms justice at all. Of course, to each his own opinion, but we find Blu to be very attractive on the "S" class, bright and airy, and the ambiance has always been great. I know some don't like the row of "two tops" at the window but we ALWAYS sat at one in the center of the room and loved it. If not for the emergence of Luminae we would still be booking Aqua so that we could dine in Blu each night. The service, to us, in both, has been great. The food is certainly a step or two or three up in Luminae, no doubt, but if one is not able to afford a suite then Blu on either class of ship is a great alternative.......in our opinion.

Each to their own but I really dislike Tuscan Grille on S-class ships as well - especially the seats by the windows.

I know, they are the most popular but we do not like them.

As for service, we have never eaten dinner in Blu on a regular basis and I am willing to believe that it is probably better if you do. However, I stopped eating breakfast in Blu some time ago because of absolutely awful service. At the time I could not decide whether it was because we did not eat dinner there or because I was on my own [although cruising with my husband].

Each to their own but I really dislike Tuscan Grille on S-class ships as well - especially the seats by the windows.

 

I know, they are the most popular but we do not like them.

 

As for service, we have never eaten dinner in Blu on a regular basis and I am willing to believe that it is probably better if you do. However, I stopped eating breakfast in Blu some time ago because of absolutely awful service. At the time I could not decide whether it was because we did not eat dinner there or because I was on my own [although cruising with my husband].

I was speaking of dinner....we just don't eat breakfast regularly anywhere to really comment on it except on those few occasions when we did it was fine in Blu and also in Luminae.....we always seem to find we eat way too much for breakfast in both of those venues so we often just have light breakfasts delivered to the room ..... helps to resist the temptation of loading up on 1000 calorie breakfast!!:D:eek:

I guess that's why we all have choices, we are of the crowd that loves those seats by the windows in Tuscan....although we never got there on our last cruise....Luminae is better!!:)

Having just returned from a cruise with Luminae as our suite specialty restaurant, we wonder if Blu compares in any way to this fantastic dining venue. We have booked an aqua class cabin and are considering doing just that on our next cruise. Somewhere I read that it is possible to dine in Liminae for an extra charge...has anyone ever done that?

Trish

Hi Trish!

You're in luck. Cruise Critic broke down a comparison of Blu and Luminae in an article found here

Hope it helps!

Best,

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

We were Eclipse Aqua Spa passengers and ate every dinner in Blu but one on our 2-week cruise. We ordered a mix from the regular and the vegetarian menu and were completely happy. Had no problem with the service at all. We ate some breakfasts at the Aqua Spa Cafe (loved their hot apple cider oatmeal!) but most of them were at Blu. Too hard to pass up that Museli prepared to order. I'm not sure, but don't think that is available anywhere else on the ship.

Hi Trish!

 

You're in luck. Cruise Critic broke down a comparison of Blu and Luminae in an article found here

 

Hope it helps!

 

Best,

 

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

The pictures in the article are very helpful, but the descriptions need a lot of editing.

• "A stand-out is the Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb -- braised lamb shoulder in filo pastry with green peas, fingerling potatoes and a Pinot Noir sauce." Either the Blu menu has a very strange name for this dish, or the article has conflated two very different things

• "If you prefer your food freshly sourced from each port you visit..." As has been pointed out many times recently, they never did implement this freshly-sourced promise in Luminae

• Most reports from diners in Blu say that if there ever was a focus on lo-cal and "spa" cuisine, it has gone by the boards.

I'm sure one of the editors would be willing to undertake the arduous task of a B2B in a suite and aquaclass to fully research an update of this article! Even a Host would take the job!

I'm sure one of the editors would be willing to undertake the arduous task of a B2B in a suite and aquaclass to fully research an update of this article! Even a Host would take the job!

And if they are all too "busy" I will be happy to volunteer for this difficult task!!!:D

We just returned from a B2B2B - had Blu for 13 nights, Luminae for 9 nights and then MDR for 12 nights

Blu - the staff is outstanding. Food is good and service is quick. Everyone stops by to make sure you have water, coffee, bread, etc.

Luminae - we ate there three times and never went back - went back to Blu

service was stiff, no one came by to refill bread, water, etc. Food was same as Blu.

MDR - hard working staff, and they are attentive and we have no problem with the food.

If money is no issue then book a suite and eat in Luminae if you like it.

If money is a consideration - book lowest cabin, eat in MDR and pay for the dinner package that gives you 5 restaurants for an average of $30 per meal, if you don;t want to eat in MDR everynight.

We are not picky eaters, so I can't say that one is better than the other. We found the food good in all the restaurants.

personally - Murano is the best.

Thank you for bringing some of the discrepancies to our attention. We are looking into an update of the piece as some of the restaurant details have changed from when we first wrote it. I'll be onboard Summit in July so maybe I will be able to put in a few of those hard hours checking them out for myself :)

Cheers,

~Brittany Chrusciel, Associate Editor, Cruise Critic

We just returned from a B2B2B - had Blu for 13 nights, Luminae for 9 nights and then MDR for 12 nights

Blu - the staff is outstanding. Food is good and service is quick. Everyone stops by to make sure you have water, coffee, bread, etc.

Luminae - we ate there three times and never went back - went back to Blu

service was stiff, no one came by to refill bread, water, etc. Food was same as Blu.

MDR - hard working staff, and they are attentive and we have no problem with the food.

If money is no issue then book a suite and eat in Luminae if you like it.

If money is a consideration - book lowest cabin, eat in MDR and pay for the dinner package that gives you 5 restaurants for an average of $30 per meal, if you don;t want to eat in MDR everynight.

We are not picky eaters, so I can't say that one is better than the other. We found the food good in all the restaurants.

personally - Murano is the best.

Which ship please

Luminae - we ate there three times and never went back - went back to Blu

service was stiff, no one came by to refill bread, water, etc. Food was same as Blu.QUOTE]

 

Roxie, I sailed Silhouette in Aqua and Reflection in a Sky. I would like to respectfully disagree on your statement above. We found the food in Luminae to be far different, especially at breakfast. We loved the Luminae breakfasts but did eat in Blu once just to go with lighter items.

Service can vary greatly in any restqurant ship to ship, but our must recent Celebrity experience was three B2Bs late last year on the Eclipse. Two trips in Blu and one in Luminae.

For us Blu could be noisy and crowded, so choosing the right table is a necessity. The food was good but it's good in the MDR most of the time. We have become disenchanted with Blu.

Luminae, on the other hand, had better spaced tables, a more attentive, less harried staff, and the food was better across the board. I am not a big fan of breakfast, after all, eggs are eggs and bacon is bacon, but Luminae had some items not found on Blui's menu. Eggs ranchero come to mind. So my vote clearly is for Luminae but that does not consider the cost difference between Aqua and a suite.

Incidentally, we just returned from a MSC cruise in their Yacht club, an experience I highly recommend except that the food in the dedicated restaurant was generally disappointing. Luminae gets my vote in that comparison, too.

We just returned from 11 nights in Aqua on Infinity. Absolutely no complaints about service, food quality, preparation, or variety. TOP TIER! We have never eaten in Luminae so can't personally comment on that. However, we had friends in a Suite and they ate with us in Blu one night. I asked them for a comparison. They said the food selection in Blu was better than L. They said the menu was more limited and "heavier" in L. They said service in both venues was excellent as well as food quality and preparation. They said L was a bit too quiet for them and liked the lively vibe in Blu. Overall they said they would have no problem eating in Blu on a daily basis but since they book a Suite for the extra room, they feel obligated to eat in L.

For the record, Blu has seating for 100 while L has seating for 50 in the same size room, at least on Infinity.

We just returned from 11 nights in Aqua on Infinity. Absolutely no complaints about service, food quality, preparation, or variety. TOP TIER! We have never eaten in Luminae so can't personally comment on that. However, we had friends in a Suite and they ate with us in Blu one night. I asked them for a comparison. They said the food selection in Blu was better than L. They said the menu was more limited and "heavier" in L. They said service in both venues was excellent as well as food quality and preparation. They said L was a bit too quiet for them and liked the lively vibe in Blu. Overall they said they would have no problem eating in Blu on a daily basis but since they book a Suite for the extra room, they feel obligated to eat in L.

 

For the record, Blu has seating for 100 while L has seating for 50 in the same size room, at least on Infinity.

We just returned from the Pacific Coastal Cruise as well. Sailed in a suite this time and had our first experience with Luminae... and I cannot say enough good things about the overall experience!

When we have previously cruised in suites, prior to the introduction of Luminae, we would generally have breakfast most mornings in Blu and then join travelling companions in the MDR for dinner. On our recent Infinity sailing, we were so impressed with the food AND service in Luninae that we did not even go to Blu for any meal this sailing. In fact, our only deviations were an excellent Wine Pairing Dinner in Tuscan Grill and lunch one day in Bistro on 5 while we were in port.

You could certainly eat heavy, or lighter, if you chose to... the menu is limited, but the quality is high and we never got anything that wasn't very good. A time or two we did supplement selections by requesting MDR items, so it was a good balance.

Truth be told, most people would be very well satisfied with either Blu or Luminae!

We always prefer to get a suite where possible because as a suite guest you are entitled to eat in Luminae AND Blu, based on availability (although we were never turned down).

Personally for us, Luminae has a much nicer ambiance, whereas ironically we found Blu to be quite cold and stark with an unpleasant light due to the light coming through the blue tinted windows. Luminae is much warmer and cosier, and the food is a noticeable step up.

That said, Blu is probably still a significant upgrade to the main dining room, and the breakfasts in Blu are actually better than Luminae!