BLU vs Luminae - looking for feedback

We did our very first Celebrity cruise on Summit earlier this year, for which we got an absolute steal on a Sky Suite, so enjoyed our nightly dinners at Luminae. For our next cruise we are currently booked in Aqua Clas, and contemplating whether to upgrade, but one of the things I'm curious about is for feedback from folks who have done both Aqua and Suites and how the food compares between BLU and Luminae. We didn't take advantage of the ability to dine in BLU as suite guests so don't have any experience. Side question, in BLU can you order from MDR like you can from Luminae?

Thanks in advance everyone!

We have sailed in AQ frequently and Suites 4 of our last 7 cruises. Food is subjective but I personally prefer the menus in Blu compared to the Luminae menu. I find the Luminae menu very limited and struggle many night to find something I would enjoy.

We just returned from a29 night B2B on the Constellation and most nights I ordered from the Blu menu or the MDR menu.

Thanks for the feedback! Often I would survey the menus of all three and it did seem to be a more expansive menu at Blu. Our experiences at Luminae were very good, so just trying to see if it would be a "downgrade", but seems like it really wouldn't be. Thanks!

On our recent cruise we dined in Blu a few nights as for what ever reason Luminae was very loud and we found Blu quieter with the same level of service. Different passengers, different ship might be different.

We love Luninae. During our last cruise we checked out the menu at Blu because we too have considered booking Aqua. The menu did look wonderful!

We've had friends in Aqua and they did mention they were disappointed with the crowded space and longer waits. Has anyone else encountered this?

FWIW, to those of you concerned about limited choices in Luminae - you can always ask for the Main Diningroom menu. We've done that a couple of times. Are you limited to just the Aqua menu in that venue? We've also made it a habit to look over the Luminae menu for the following evening (perhaps to schedule specialty dining or plan to ask for the MD menu). We feel that although the choices are more limited, the quality in Luminae is superior.

Food in MDR on the Eclipse this February was not edible. We ate in OVC most nights.

I know that they offer the MDR to guests in Luminae, I ordered off it several times on our last 2 cruises on the Summit.

My understanding is that in Blu some of the everyday items (i.e. French onion soup, Caesar salad) from the MDR are available, but they do not give you the MDR menu to choose from in Blu.

Food in MDR on the Eclipse this February was not edible. We ate in OVC most nights.

Sorry I know food taste is subjective however to say that food in the MDR was not edible is rediculous.

I was on the Eclipse in Feb and the food was in no way unedible anywhere on the ship.

Sorry I know food taste is subjective however to say that food in the MDR was not edible is rediculous.

I was on the Eclipse in Feb and the food was in no way unedible anywhere on the ship.

I agree with you. I dined in Luminae on the Eclipse in January and enjoyed many items from the MDR menu.

We cruised with friends who dined in the MDR and said it was very good.

Personally I would be very suspicious of anyone that said the Eclipse MDR items were inedible. In fact the escargot was as good as any that I have enjoyed. It always is.

I can understand how some people might prefer the more casual and variety of a buffet style dinner.

We have done MDR on the silhouette, Blu on the solstice and luminae on the solstice.

The food in the MDR is fine, but we found the service wildly lacking and spent most nights in the buffet because we were just too frustrated.

Blu was very nice, much more personalized, the hostess and manager knew us, same waiter etc. Service was miles beyond MDR and the food was a definite step up. Expansive menu.

Luminae is wonderful. The service goes above and beyond, they know your name after the first day, they know your likes and dislikes. They see you coming and already have menus in hand as you walk in. Much more room than Blu (Blu was a bit tight for our liking, “table for two” is a table for two with a 4” gap between the next table). Luminae also just feels luxurious from the furnishing to glassware. I did find the menu somewhat limiting at times (especially as I am not a red meat eater). MDR menu was an option and they were also able to make entree portions of appealing appetizers. Needless to say, I did not go hungry.

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Recently learned on a HAL cruise that distance from table to galley is a major issue on larger ships. Waiters have the same number of tables. but spend more time walking to/waiting in galley. On X we really enjoy the small feel of Blu and the camaraderie of the servers - trying to help each other. Proximity to the galley for both Blu and Luminae may help. BTW have always found the food on X to be quite good.

We've dined in Blu on Silhouette and Solstice, and i believe MDR menu was available both trips. Blu was originally envisioned as a healthy choice dining area.

One thing that could limit MDR options is how far the MDR kitchen is from Blu, it may vary ship to ship.

I've eaten in both Luminae and Blu and I find Luminae to be superior. I don't recall being able to order from the MDR menu in Blu except for a few items. In Luminae, we always got the MDR menu in addition to the Luminae menu. I believe I heard somewhere that the distance from Blu to the kitchen was a factor in that.

The one thing I loved about Blu was the muesli cart. Unfortunately, they no longer offer this, so no reason to go there.

The service in both those dining rooms is far superior to that in the MDR.

We were spoiled in Luminae for 3 cruises and then went back to Blu for the last 2 cruises. Blu was very good and we had great experiences, but can't wait to get back to Luminae this fall.

Yes, there are less choices on the Luminae menu, but the cuts of meat are better quality, the food has a lot more flavor IMHO and the desserts are the real deal (a lot of the time on cruise ships the desserts look better than they taste, but not in Luminae, in our experience). At first, when I didn't see something I wanted on the menu, I would order something from the MDR menu. After doing that twice, I stopped - the food just didn't compare to Luminae's (at least on that cruise). I started to be a little more adventurous and ordered something I normally wouldn't from the Luminae menu and was almost always pleasantly surprised. They will tailor the dish to your taste as well. The service is personalized, from the host(ess) to the wait staff to the sommelier.

The MC concierge printed out all the menus for us in order of when they would be served so if there really wasn't anything that appealed to us certain nights, we did our specialty dining those nights. We missed our Luminae peeps when we went elsewhere and always received a warm welcome when we returned. Our experiences in Luminae have all been special, but maybe we've been lucky.

If I had a choice, Luminae would be it, but would be happy in Blu too, if a suite wasn't an option. :D

I have eaten in both and liked the menu in Luminae better than Blu. It just seemed like Blu had too many foods that I do not care for. I also ordered off MDR menu several times. Of course, taste in food is very personal. Service in both is good, but I thought the service in Luminae was superior.

Carolyn

We dined in Blu for many years and loved it...and then Luminae came along and it is just superior in every way....If I was in a suite there would be no doubt where we would dine.

Just to be clear though we do still love Blu and if we were sailing in AQUA would be thrilled to dine there again....it's also a great venue...

So try Luminae, if for some reason you don't like it, you could always go back and eat in Blu if you are in a suite (if there is space available)

Sorry I know food taste is subjective however to say that food in the MDR was not edible is rediculous.

I was on the Eclipse in Feb and the food was in no way unedible anywhere on the ship.

That is INEDIBLE , we tried for 3 nights, processed turkey, low quality beef, everything so salty that people complained of increased BP . Some went down to the medical facility and were told not to eat in the MDR.

But of course I am glad you enjoyed yourself in the MDR on the Eclipse in the Feb. Maybe your first cruise? or maybe not a discerning foodie.

Never eaten in Blu so unable to comment as always more than happy with the food and service in Luminae. But on last cruise which was Reflection we met a couple who had tried to eat in Blu on a couple of occasions but got so frustrated with the delays and poor service they returned to Lumina and said they wouldn't bother to try again.

Never eaten in Blu so unable to comment as always more than happy with the food and service in Luminae. But on last cruise which was Reflection we met a couple who had tried to eat in Blu on a couple of occasions but got so frustrated with the delays and poor service they returned to Lumina and said they wouldn't bother to try again.

Service is rather slow and we sometimes left before dessert. Then we headed upstairs to the buffet. The food on theme nights was outstanding, especially Greek night. We had gyros and desserts there one night. Caribbean food the other night. No complaints here.

Sorry I know food taste is subjective however to say that food in the MDR was not edible is rediculous.

I was on the Eclipse in Feb and the food was in no way unedible anywhere on the ship.

I have to agree - I'm not a "Foodie" but I have several friends who are and I know what is innovative and great food and what isn't. (It just isn't as important to me as it is to my friends.) If the food was truly inedible then I have to wonder why anyone would choose to travel on a mass line. I's not the French Laundry cruise line.

We've dined in both Blu and Luminae numerous times. We have had wonderful experiences in both, as well as not so great experiences in both. I think it just depends on the ship, the crew (and sometimes the other passengers!). I don't think you can go wrong choosing either Suite Class or Aqua Class. I wouldn't let the choice between these two wonderful restaurants be the deciding factor.

My two cents,

Shawn

I have to agree - I'm not a "Foodie" but I have several friends who are and I know what is innovative and great food and what isn't. (It just isn't as important to me as it is to my friends.) If the food was truly inedible then I have to wonder why anyone would choose to travel on a mass line. I's not the French Laundry cruise line.

I agree with you there. For our next we have cancelled Celeb and chosen Viking Ocean, very good reviews for foodies and no kids.

But this thread is about ordering from MDR. Yes maybe occasionally, but if you have a choice, dont.

We were upgraded to a Suite in 2015 and Aqua in 2013.

On a scale of 1-10, 10 being super wonderful and 1 being terrible, I would rate restaurants as follows:

Lluminae 9

BLU 8

MDR 7

Luminae has more room and dining is at a slower pace, while Blu is a little more crowded. Bummer on the muesli, as that was a draw for Blu, but they have awesome blueberry pancakes.

Luminae has the main menu, as well as MDR, and they will try to take care of any request.

I have been on cruises where I have enjoyed one over the other, primarily driven by the manager and how their attitude and actions affect the staff. I generally prefer Luminae, while my sister tends toward Blu.

That is INEDIBLE , we tried for 3 nights, processed turkey, low quality beef, everything so salty that people complained of increased BP . Some went down to the medical facility and were told not to eat in the MDR.

 

But of course I am glad you enjoyed yourself in the MDR on the Eclipse in the Feb. Maybe your first cruise? or maybe not a discerning foodie.

It sounds like you had a bad experience with an off kitchen staff for your cruise. Your opinion and experiences are valid, but are out of the ordinary for Blu. It's too bad that you feel the need to insult others who don't share your rare opinion.