Luminea

Would anyone have a copy of the menu’s in Luminae? We saw one nights menu on our last cruise, and to tell the truth, it didn’t look that inviting. I don’t think Celebrity poses this anywhere. Thanks for any help.

Rollie

Would anyone have a copy of the menu’s in Luminae? We saw one nights menu on our last cruise, and to tell the truth, it didn’t look that inviting. I don’t think Celebrity poses this anywhere. Thanks for any help.

 

Rollie

I'm sorry I don't have a copy. I surely do not want to make negative comments about something as personal as food tastes, but for me Luminae can be quite disappointing in its menu choices. Frequently, I wind up asking for the MDR menu. But the service is usually excellent, the tables are quite well spaced, and for us, the back room area is perfect. You will enjoy the experience, I'm sure.

Would anyone have a copy of the menu’s in Luminae? We saw one nights menu on our last cruise, and to tell the truth, it didn’t look that inviting. I don’t think Celebrity poses this anywhere. Thanks for any help.

 

Rollie

The Luminae menu changes nightly. They have 14 menus they may use in any order. As we board we ask the Michael’s Club host for the menus in order (it is easy for them to print this off).

When we first tried Luminae we did find the menu quite restricted although no faults with the service. To pay a significant amount for a suite and then need to order from the MDR menu did not seem right....

We now have a very workable solution....

Our first night we always spend in Tuscan (we like the views...we now know we are on our cruise!). Second day is usually a sea day. We will browse the menus. Highlight the ones we really like, indicate the ones where one or other has a preference and then the odd others we will put to one side.....When we both fancy something we will dine in Luminae. When neither of us finds the menu particularly appetising we book a speciality. On those mixed nights we have sometimes (the day before) requested an item (steak?) off menu for the one of us who is struggling to choose an entree. On other occasions we have tried something we are uncertain about with mixed results. We would never on the same night ask for something not on either the Luminae or MDR menu as it could impact on the service of others.

If I was to criticise the Luminae menu I would say it tries to be ‘playful’ in its wording offering the customer a quite limited idea of what is coming! It is also a little lacking in veggies....They seem more of a garnish than a main part of the dish. If you ask for extra veg they will provide it although when you order you can not really tell if your meal will be ‘greens limited’!

We have had some nice food in Luminae....especially now we know a chunk of the menu and can better judge what we are ordering and what we like!

We loved Luminae AND the menu. There were many different kinds of choices over the 14 day menu. We only had one day where we opted for the MDR menu.

The staff there is so accommodating, they will pretty much get you whatever you want as long as it's on the ship. One of the people next to us had a steak from Tuscan Grill almost every night.

We can't wait to go back again on the Eclipse in just over 90 days!!! :D :D

Am surprised some find the menu limited. I have not found the menu any more-or-less limited than the MDR menu. For entrees each night there is a different seafood dish, poultry dish, meat dish, pasta dish and veggie dish. There is a similar number and variety of appetizers as the MDR. One can also order of the MDR menu from Luminae - and with a little advance notice Luminae is generally far better capable of accommodating special requests than the MDR. The menu descriptions may contain items some diners are not aware of - as they try to make the food appear to be more luxurious/gourmet than it really is, but the actual food is not all that fussy. Overall I have found the ambiance, service and food quality all a significant step up in Luminae than the MDR. They really aim to please in Luminae, so just assert yourself and make your wants/needs known and they generally will do their best to accommodate.

There is somebody doing a live report now from the summit and he has post a few menus and some pics. Check it out. It the summit jan6 post

Based on our experiences of comparing the MDR & Luminae menus for 12 nights late in 2017, I found that the MDR menu had 3 to 4 times the number of choices as the Luminae menu (dinner menus, never compared lunch menus). I would guess that I ordered off the MDR menu about 1/3 the time. Luminae is limited to 4 (maybe 5) choices for the main entree where the MDR easily doubled that number. We had the same waiter almost every night in Luminae and he quickly learned to bring us both menus and it was not unusual for him to recommend MDR items over Luminae's menu. Luckily, a person can order from either menu, or parts of dinner from both menus.

Even though we have found that the menu in Luminae is severely lacking in choice, by having the option of ordering from the MDR menu greatly expands the choices. The service in Luminae is wonderful and this alone helps makeup for the small menu. No reason to ever going to the MDR if a person is in a Suite.

We enjoyed breakfast in Luminae one morning, had lunch there on embarkation day and went one evening just for dessert (we had dined in Porch). Their creme brulee is blissfully good and the service is outstanding.

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Based on our experiences of comparing the MDR & Luminae menus for 12 nights late in 2017, I found that the MDR menu had 3 to 4 times the number of choices as the Luminae menu (dinner menus, never compared lunch menus). I would guess that I ordered off the MDR menu about 1/3 the time. Luminae is limited to 4 (maybe 5) choices for the main entree where the MDR easily doubled that number. We had the same waiter almost every night in Luminae and he quickly learned to bring us both menus and it was not unusual for him to recommend MDR items over Luminae's menu. Luckily, a person can order from either menu, or parts of dinner from both menus.

 

Even though we have found that the menu in Luminae is severely lacking in choice, by having the option of ordering from the MDR menu greatly expands the choices. The service in Luminae is wonderful and this alone helps makeup for the small menu. No reason to ever going to the MDR if a person is in a Suite.

I take it you are including the every day items on the MDR menu that never change? If you count those, then yes, the MDR menu does offer more choices. However if you are only counting the menu items that change day-to-day, Luminae and MDR have approximately the same number of items. Perhaps the MDR has one extra appetizer and entree, but they are pretty similar quantity wise.

Chemmo, that is a great idea. We will head to MC and have a look at the menu’s.

Rollie

I take it you are including the every day items on the MDR menu that never change? If you count those, then yes, the MDR menu does offer more choices. However if you are only counting the menu items that change day-to-day, Luminae and MDR have approximately the same number of items. Perhaps the MDR has one extra appetizer and entree, but they are pretty similar quantity wise.

No I was not, maybe I am just remembering wrong. It has been 6 weeks since our 12 day cruise, I think I need to go back and do a recount.LOL. I saw the everyday items, but never considered them; only interested in the new stuff. Maybe it is just because the MDR menu is physically much larger giving the impression of more choices. Like I said, I want a do over.

Based on our experiences of comparing the MDR & Luminae menus for 12 nights late in 2017, I found that the MDR menu had 3 to 4 times the number of choices as the Luminae menu (dinner menus, never compared lunch menus). I would guess that I ordered off the MDR menu about 1/3 the time. Luminae is limited to 4 (maybe 5) choices for the main entree where the MDR easily doubled that number. We had the same waiter almost every night in Luminae and he quickly learned to bring us both menus and it was not unusual for him to recommend MDR items over Luminae's menu. Luckily, a person can order from either menu, or parts of dinner from both menus.

 

Even though we have found that the menu in Luminae is severely lacking in choice, by having the option of ordering from the MDR menu greatly expands the choices. The service in Luminae is wonderful and this alone helps makeup for the small menu. No reason to ever going to the MDR if a person is in a Suite.

How many seats are in the MDR? How many in Luminae? To expect the smaller dining room to have the same number of choices as the larger does not seem at all reasonable to me.

I'm very excited to try Luminae, we always liked the MDR, and then we loved Blu, but can't wait to experience a fresh venue.

No I was not, maybe I am just remembering wrong. It has been 6 weeks since our 12 day cruise, I think I need to go back and do a recount.LOL. I saw the everyday items, but never considered them; only interested in the new stuff. Maybe it is just because the MDR menu is physically much larger giving the impression of more choices. Like I said, I want a do over.

Just looked at some menus. MDR does have significantly more appetizers on the menus that change daily (seven vs. four) but entrees are similar (six versus five choices). For entrees both MDR and Luminae have a seafood centric choice, pasta centric choice, poultry centric choice and vegetarian choice; Luminae then has one meat centric choice whereas MDR has two.

Chemmo, that is a great idea. We will head to MC and have a look at the menu’s.

 

Rollie

Rollie, I am very aware that many guests love the Luminae menu and so may you....As other posters say food is subjective....One is always reluctant to state their ‘opinion’ too loud...As I said previously no issues at all with the service levels...outstanding!

We continue to have nothing but praise for the service level and flexibility of the Luminae staff but we still think that any restaurant which needs a back up (the MDR menu) must need a bit of a ‘tweek’.....Does anyone go in Murano’s and ask for the MDR menu?....

As I have said.... food is subjective...I genuinely think the menu suits some more than others. We are probably ‘in the middle of the mix’...We see it’s strengths but also feel it has limitations...

I'm always amazed at the misinformation on these boards. Here is a thread with the actual menus.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2360875

Just looked at some menus. MDR does have significantly more appetizers on the menus that change daily (seven vs. four) but entrees are similar (six versus five choices). For entrees both MDR and Luminae have a seafood centric choice, pasta centric choice, poultry centric choice and vegetarian choice; Luminae then has one meat centric choice whereas MDR has two.

Luminae usually has two meat entrees.

Luminae usually has two meat entrees.

Looks like from the menus you posted there are a couple of nights where there is a 2nd meat centric dish instead of a poultry centric dish.

Here are all 14 menus. Scroll down.

http://www.myvirtualvacations.net/luminae.html

Looks like from the menus you posted there are a couple of nights where there is a 2nd meat centric dish instead of a poultry centric dish.

Poultry isn't from a mammal but it is considered meat.

Poultry isn't from a mammal but it is considered meat.

Thanks for proving my point; 11 of the 14 menus are as I described; pasta centric dish, poultry centric dish, seafood centric dish, vegetarian dish, meat centric dish; 3 of the 14 have a second meat centric dish in lieu of poultry. Yes, of course poultry is considered meat, but they are a subtype of meat and most nights Celebrity has one poultry option and one beef/veal/lamb option.

We will be boarding the Summit on Saturday. I called the end of last week and requested our dining reservation be moved from Luminae to the MDR. It's just not for us. We prefer the MDR over L for dinner.... L is just too sedate/quiet/formal and the menu just doesn't come close to matching our personal preferences and dietary needs. We'll be much happier in the MDR. So, if L isn't your cup of tea... you're not alone!

Thanks for proving my point; 11 of the 14 menus are as I described; pasta centric dish, poultry centric dish, seafood centric dish, vegetarian dish, meat centric dish; 3 of the 14 have a second meat centric dish in lieu of poultry. Yes, of course poultry is considered meat, but they are a subtype of meat and most nights Celebrity has one poultry option and one beef/veal/lamb option.

The misinformation I was referring to was the person who said the MDR has twice to 3 times as many entrees as Luminae.

There's plenty to choose from, especially with the MDR menu available including the every day entrees. As far as people requesting things from other specialty restaurants, why not just go there? It would be impossible for the staff to serve everyone promptly if people start making special requests all the time but I guess there are always those who love to feel extra special. LOL:)

This is amazing. Could find no fault. Just google and you will find many menus.

Rollie, I think you'll find that you enjoy the atmosphere in Luminae. It's smaller and less noisy than the MDR. You can order from either menu or a combination of both. I'm just off the Summit. We discovered that we could get a very good filet any night other options didn't suit. They try very hard to please. The bread guy, upon discovering that we liked the brown bread from the MDR, made sure that we had it at our table every night. The sommeliers have been excellent and have recommended some interesting things. Unlimited specialty dining came with our suite--we never used it except for lunch one day.

Enjoy your suite experience!

Here are all 14 menus. Scroll down.

http://www.myvirtualvacations.net/luminae.html

Reading these menus makes me think I was on the wrong ship. On the Eclipse last month for twelve days, I probably ordered from the MDR menus three, maybe four nights. One night Luminae's menu included grilled steak and grilled chicken, hardly items that would stress even an average home cook. Strangely, towards the end of the cruise, the menu became much more interesting, so Luminae was for me a very uneven performance. Some folks like to eat only what they are familiar with. I'm not one of them. On land or at sea I look for items that I've never eaten before or common items prepared in ways I've never tried before. Grilled entrees don't make the cut for me.

But again I stress that the service in Luminae is usually excellent and that alone goes a long way to making dining there a pleasant experience. We'll be on the Reflection and the Silhouette this year, so we'll see what they offer, but our first Regent cruise is mere days away. I am really hopeful it will offer a special dining experience.