Shirley C

Hi Shirley!!!! Love to know more about Luminae dining.

Hey Nancy! Was thinking of you today. We met the couple on the deck above us in "your & Dee's cabin", which we always refer to as the girls' cabin! LOL. I've taken a couple of pics & will either post them here or send them to you privately. Luminae has been wonderful so far, but only two meals so far. It's a small restaurant -- only seats about 45 I think they said. It was very crowded last night when we went for dinner at 7:00 pm. They were telling people to come back at 9:30! Took about 2 hours for dinner. Today we went for brunch around 11:00 am and there were only a handful of people in there. Menu is limited -- not as many choices as MDR, but you can order some additional things from left side of MDR menu like shrimp cocktail, Cesare salad, etc. we are told it will be a different menu every night for the 17 nights. Breakfast & dinner only -- not lunch as was stated earlier by Celebrity. Sea day today & they had brunch instead of breakfast. I'm not sure if that will be every sea day or not. I'll keep you updated. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.

Shirley

If I'm not mistaken, former Kennedy Space Center Director Jim Kennedy [no relation to JFK] is one of the guest lecturers on board. If he is, don't miss him. His talks about space and lessons from the space program are wonderful.

 

Have a terrific cruise!

Thanks for the tip. I'll watch for his lecture.

Shirley

Currently on the 17 day Panama Canal cruise on Infinity. So far, it's been a fantastic cruise. Food in Lumine is spectacular. If anyone has any questions about the ship, let me know, and I'll try to answer them. The Internet is a bit fussy as to where it can be accessed, so I may not get to answer right away, but I'm here for the next 16 days, so will get to them as quickly as I can.

Shirley

Today we planned to do a catamaran trip. This is not our normal activity on an island but we wanted to try out this boat / company as we're traveling with family to St Thomas in January and plan to charter the entire catamaran. I emailed them 3-4 days ago for some details and to find out how many people had signed up and they told me us and 4 other but expected a few more but not a crowd.

 

We contacted another couple from our roll call who planned on the same trip to share a private cab we arranged while we were on the island last week. We're not fond of the shared taxi system on St Thomas because they make everyone going to a certain area wait until they're full. If your the first to that taxi you can wait for 15-20+ minutes. I called the arranged taxi and met him right across the street from the shared taxis. He took a bit longer to get there than I hoped but it was a tad cheaper than the shared taxi.

 

When we arrived on the beach to the catamaran and saw it was packed and were told there would be about 30 on board. There barely looked like room to sit so we bailed on plan A and decided on Plan B to go back to Secret Harbor for a mellow day on the beach and the amazing Tuna sashimi nachos at Sunset Grill. I'll get picks when we do lunch, but for now, this is what I'm doing for my last day of vacation

 

(Yes, those are freshly repainted)

 

Tomorrow will be a sad day for sure, as I don't even fly home, it's right to a work trip for me, but we do have a bit of a plan for Old San Juan tomorrow though not sure if we'll do that or be spontaneous.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

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Looks like the perfect way to spend the last day of a cruise. Thank you again for all your pics during your cruise. I've thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm looking forward to boarding the Infinity in 10 days and trying out the suite benefits for myself. Safe travels home to you & Dee.

Shirley

Thank you again for taking time out of your vacation to post all the pics and answer everyone's questions.

A nice meal in Bistro on 5. We asked for a bit faster service and received it so less than an hour for soup and meal.

 

I like the new salad with the crepes better than the old one.

 

We were also told the new menu, gelato for dessert and the $10 price will be in effect for next week's cruise.

 

 

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

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Bistro on 5 is one of our favorite spots -- we usually eat lunch there most days. I'm excited to try the new menu. Is the gelato included in the price?

Thanks so much for taking the time to post. I have enjoyed reading your comments. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Shirley

Hi Shirley -

I was originally scheduled to be on the cruise with you on the 28th, but had to cancel. My sincere hope is that all will be good by the time you board! I will be embarking on the 15th when you arrive in San Francisco.

 

Have a great cruise, and stay well! :)

 

(I am also booked on the Reflection in March, so perhaps we will see you on that cruise.)

Sorry you won't be joining us on the 28th. Hopefully all will be back to normal by the time you board.

Looking forward to seeing you on the Reflection.

Shirley

The article I read said 100 people were sick..hardly a crisis on a ship with over 3000 guests and staff...

Unless you're one of the 100.

We are boarding the Infinity on the 28th. Hoping it is all cleared up by then.

Hah! Did the pastries taste good? I concede it is hard to be too chocolatey but...

 

Does everyone want me to keep posting? Here was breakfast menu for this morning. I don't see much change.

 

 

The have breakfast nailed. Maybe if I pick, my hash browns we're a tad greasy? I had the crepe, it was good, but I couldn't finish. Pastries continue to impress. There are healthy choices. No pics however as I was barely awake.

 

Lunch:

 

I started with the salmon sashimi which was the one I didn't get a pic of (or get to taste) last night. It was yummy and refreshing, not really Asian inspired or salty ;)

 

 

Dee had the tomato salad but I think I shared a pic of that previously. She than had the bruschette I had a week ago, still excellent, less salty.

 

I had to try the burger. I couldn't resist and took a bite before I took a pic. It is a great burger, and juicy on a nice brioche with cartelized onions though it came well when ordered medium rare. I kind of expected this given the grill they seem to be using. We have a small farm of our own and for the past 4 years have grown our own meat (beef, pork, and poultry) so we're pretty spoiled with quality. Our burger is better than Luminae but theirs was better than all but the best burgers I've had out. I'd expect to pay $20+ for a burger like this put. You can see herbs right in the patty, or I could. Anyway. Fries were ok, not as good as some. I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad with the small portion.

 

I finished with more peanut butter ice cream, soooooo good. The gym is DEFINITELY in my future this afternoon. I asked if it was gelato or ice cream. I was told since the Luminae kitchen is the only one open it was brought all the way down from deck 10, no questions asked.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

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I for one would love you to keep posting. My understanding was the dinner menu would change every 14 days, so hopefully you will have some additional/new changes. I'm boarding the Infinity in two weeks and you are definitely wetting my appetite -- pun intended. 😃

alfred? He must be on hiatus from wayne manor!

Must be!

You are very welcome. I am glad to help.

 

To some others though, I may be giving the wrong impression, we are having an absolutely wonderful time. As I mentioned earlier, I expected a few hiccups with the new suite perks implementation, but Leo has been great at getting answers and taking care of things. As a matter of fact, he told me earlier in the cruise that if Celebrity said it, then they would honor it, and he has done exactly that. Thank you Leo, you're the best!

 

I guess I look at customer service a little differently than some. I don't always expect things to go perfectly the first time as everyone is only human. It's how things are handled after being told no that truly matters to me. I don't believe anything that was told to me was meant to dampen my experience or make me feel extra special for going out of their way to give me something that I should have had to begin with. Again, I think it was just inexperienced hiccups in the implementation of a new program. Trust me, you didn't see me on Solstice, when they wouldn't remove a mini bar charge for a soda that we didn't consume. That soda charge was eventually removed. ;-)

 

This is only our 3rd cruise on Celebrity as we recently have been travelling a lot in suites on NCL. There is currently a rather lengthy and at times, heated debate on the NCL threads on CC about the new service charges being implemented on NCL ships. As I compare the two, I do believe that Celebrity has the promise of attracting guests that normally sail in suites on NCL over to Celebrity. I know more of my dollars will go to the cruise line that says to me, " if we said it, then we will honor it." Nice job Celebrity! It seems NCL can't make that statement.

 

I apologize for incorrectly spelling Gareth's name. I read his name tag without my glasses. Please accept my apology Gareth.

 

As for the wine, I did confirm the bottles in the stateroom are included. Yippee! I have not tried them, but here are the names:

Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve cabernet Sauvignon 2012

La Crema Sonoma Coast 2011 Chardonnay

 

I did not pay close attention to the wine list at Luminae, so I cannot comment about the number of selections, sorry. I did ask for a recommendation for a glass of wine. At the end of dinner, the sommolier (spelling ?) did ask for my room key, but I was not charged for the glass. So I am assuming the wine is not complimentary in Luminaire, but I am not positive.

 

I also asked Leo about ordering from the main restaurant menu, he said if the item is on the everyday side then it can be ordered in Luminaire. Yippee again!

 

As I mentioned earlier, please don't judge my husband's take on the food at Luminaire as a negative. He really is a picky eater. His steak came with a sauce that he chose not to put on his. I tried his steak and it was indeed unseasoned, but it was still good to me. It was very tender and perfectly cooked medium rare.

 

We ate dinner at Tuscan Grill last night and the meal and service was outstanding. DH ate the spaghetti dish ( forgot the name) and I had the filet. Steak was wonderfully seasoned and DH liked his spaghetti.

 

I hope I answered what questions I could and if there are anymore questions I can help get answered I will try.

 

Becky

Thanks again for taking time out of your vacation to answer questions and post updates. It's really appreciated.

Shirley

Is this on the Celebrity website?

What TA will you be on?

We aren't on a TA -- 17 day Panama Canal - FLL to San Francisco.

Shirley

Thanks for the updates. We are leaving in three weeks and will be in a suite so I'm anxious to hear all about the new perks.

Isabelo - Equinox - 2012

 

Salvio - Sillouhette - 2013

 

Bart - Equinox - 2014

 

Also - Connie 2009 & 2010 Nelson and Jonathan.

 

I can't remember who on Galaxy.

We've had Nelson twice. He is our favorite. He's excellent. Alfred is also good.

Shirley

Ok everyone - having been on m class and s class ships in different Royal Suites, I want to know which butlers! Our MCC host Milli was fantastic! She was so helpful and maneuvered things for us we would not have been able to on our own.

I'd also like to know the names of the butlers. We've had mostly good ones, which really helps. I would not have thought about asking the MCC for help, so thanks for that tip.

We are sailing on the Infinity in three weeks and plan on having a couple of parties in our suite.

Thanks Arno -- appreciate it greatly. I always look forward to seeing who is on my upcoming cruises.

Shirley

Celebrity expects everyone to call captains club to obtain all the itineraries and pricing.

 

For some unknown reason, they think this is better then releasing the itineraries in advance.

 

Last year I was able to obtain them in advance so I only had to call for pricing on the ones that interested me. The Captains Club rep I spoke with was overjoyed that he didn't have to repeat every single itinerary for every single sailing.

 

I fail to see why they won't release the itineraries

It doesn't make sense to me why Celebrity would not release itineraries or pricing ahead of time. How are you suppose to make an informed decision, not to mention the fact that it will tie up the phone lines as most people will need to have several itineraries and several pricing choices read to them over the phone before actually booking something.

I emailed my TA and she sent me the itininerary for the Transatlantic we are interested in for April 2016. So...message is: contact your TA and he/she will have all the info ahead of next Tuesday's release. Trish

Does your TA have pricing information?

We've also stayed at the Embassy Suites. Great hotel and great location. Free buffet breakfast and happy hour in the afternoon.

Shirley

A mention was made about the wine connoisseur dinner. We booked this while on board. Along with the dinner we also received one other wine event free. The dinner itself was attended by 10 couples and was held in the Tuscan Grill. The evening started in Celler Masters around 7:30 and ended just before midnight. It was a wonderful evening of good food, good wine, and great company with lots of laughter.

What was the cost of the wine connoisseur dinner. I've not seen that offered before, but maybe I just missed it.

Shirley

I highly doubt anyone is "stressing" over it, and I'd hope we're all here to help each other with their questions. I know I am :)

 

As others have mentioned, (and on Eclipse in April), Celebrity was offering a square belgium chocolate, which were absolutely delicious. We liked them much better than the flavored ones, but that's a personal preference.

 

IMO, nothing beats the Cova chocolates that Celebrity offered years ago.

I'm with you Andy ~~ I really miss the Cova chocolates.

Shirley

Our first (and best) butler was on princess. Wei (pronounced as we, not sure how to spell it) was absolutely amazing. He would always surprise us with little treats, milk and cookies, hot chocolate for the kids (spiked ones for the adults). We were cruising Alaska and he would come with extra blankets when it was cold. He seemed to know what we wanted before we even knew we wanted it. Unfortunately he ruined us for anyone else. Next time we booked the same suite on princess, our experience was less then mediocre. Our first with celebrity was good (we had Chip) and I am looking forward to our next Alaskan experience on the millennium.

 

 

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Chip seems to be getting great reviews. Another one we really like is Nelson. We've had Nelson three times now. Always goes out of his way for us.