Eclipse Evening Dining Questions

[twoatsea]

Have not sailed Celebrity for years and we are considering a TA on the Eclipse. At the time we sailed Celebrity, there was not any evening buffet/cafeteria. Is there now? If so, does it offer 2-3 entrees, side dishes, & a salad bar? Is it still 'serve yourself', like at breakfast & lunch?

 

If not, is there another evening dining option besides the 'for fee' dining, room service, & the dining room?

 

Evening room service - is ordering from the dining room menu allowed? If not, how extensive is the menu, or is it very limited?

 

Thank you.

[tally10]

Have not sailed Celebrity for years and we are considering a TA on the Eclipse. At the time we sailed Celebrity, there was not any evening buffet/cafeteria. Is there now? If so, does it offer 2-3 entrees, side dishes, & a salad bar? Is it still 'serve yourself', like at breakfast & lunch?

 

If not, is there another evening dining option besides the 'for fee' dining, room service, & the dining room?

 

Evening room service - is ordering from the dining room menu allowed? If not, how extensive is the menu, or is it very limited?

 

Thank you.

 

We just were on the Eclipse on the May 7th Baltic and we are not crazy about formal nights. There were three on this cruise. So, on the second one, we tried the buffet. It was about a third of the size of the lunch buffet with limited selection of food. It was very disappointing. There was pizza, pasta, and sushi and a small area for other food and salad. I think I ended up with pizza. Needless to say, we will not do that again. There is no casual dining venue that the M class ships have. Thinking back, we probably would have done Bistro on 5. We had eaten there twice and enjoyed it and the $5 charge is well worth it. It was an expensive cruise and DH did not want to spend the extra money for the specialty restaurants since the food in the MDR was pretty good. I guess we could have tried room service but we like to be out and about and not eat in the cabin. We had just done 2 recent cruises on RCI Independence and their evening buffet option was so much better.

[twoatsea]

tally10, thanks for your reply. We cruised 'with you' on your last 2 Independence TA cruises! We like their evening buffet also. Sorry to hear that the pm dinner buffet is a bust.

 

What does the Bistro offer for dinner? Is it $5 for dinner & if so, what does that include. We never spend money for food on a cruise. Seems like such a waste with so much free food around.

[Gonzo70]

tally10, thanks for your reply. We cruised 'with you' on your last 2 Independence TA cruises! We like their evening buffet also. Sorry to hear that the pm dinner buffet is a bust.

 

What does the Bistro offer for dinner? Is it $5 for dinner & if so, what does that include. We never spend money for food on a cruise. Seems like such a waste with so much free food around.

 

Bistro on 5 is $5 regardless if it is lunch or dinner. They specialize in crepes (both meal crepes as well as dessert crepes). They also have a variety of panini sandwiches, as well as a salad or two and a soup or two. I found the crepes to be outstanding and loved eating there. The dress code is always casual at the Bistro.

 

I would encourage you to give one of Celebrity's full fee specialty restaurants a go. That is an area Celebrity really shines. Even though there is a lot of free food around, the specialty restaurants are absolutely amazing experiences and you would not be able to get such a nice meal on land for that cheap - so think of it as a great opportunity to have a high end meal at a moderate price.

 

Also, I am not sure I would consider the dinner buffet a "bust." One just needs to temper their expectations. If you are expecting a ton of options, then no, you will not find if there. But there are at least 6-8 different types of food to pick from (i.e. pizza, pasta, stir fry, sushi and a few others) and many of them are very tasty. It is just not the type of buffet where you can try 15-20 different foods as you can during lunch.

[chicagogal]

 

I would encourage you to give one of Celebrity's full fee specialty restaurants a go. That is an area Celebrity really shines. Even though there is a lot of free food around, the specialty restaurants are absolutely amazing experiences and you would not be able to get such a nice meal on land for that cheap - so think of it as a great opportunity to have a high end meal at a moderate price.

 

 

Hi - we are new to Celebrity and just booked Dec 27th Equinox. What is the up charge for the "full fee" specialty restaurants? Which is your favorite? Thanks!

[tally10]

tally10, thanks for your reply. We cruised 'with you' on your last 2 Independence TA cruises! We like their evening buffet also. Sorry to hear that the pm dinner buffet is a bust.

 

What does the Bistro offer for dinner? Is it $5 for dinner & if so, what does that include. We never spend money for food on a cruise. Seems like such a waste with so much free food around.

 

Just like Gonzo said, Bistro has crepes, both food crepes and dessert crepes, paninini', salads, and soup, and other desserts, all for $5. You can even design your own crepes. We really liked it. Its not that we did not want to try the specialty restaurants, but just were on a budget and the food in the MDR was actually pretty good (better than RCCL's, but overall, we loved the Indy of the Seas!). We did eat dinner several times in the Indy's buffet, but would not do it again on the Eclipse's buffet. It may have been that particular night, but I could only find pizza and a salad to eat, though I am pretty picky:D.

[dkjretired]

Celebrity has never had a full buffet for dinner on any of their ships, just a business choice..

[Ricky Chan]

Hi - we are new to Celebrity and just booked Dec 27th Equinox. What is the up charge for the "full fee" specialty restaurants? Which is your favorite? Thanks!

 

We had tried all four specialty restaurants in our Canary Islands cruise. The experience from dining at Tuscan Grille $30.00), Qsine ($30.00) and Murano ($35.00) just not the same as in MDR. IMHO, it is well worth the special levy.

 

They are all my favorites, but if you want to experience something new, Qsine will be the choice.

 

Ricky

[Gonzo70]

Hi - we are new to Celebrity and just booked Dec 27th Equinox. What is the up charge for the "full fee" specialty restaurants? Which is your favorite? Thanks!

 

On Equinox there is Silk Harvest (Asian food, $25 cover), Tuscan Grille (Italian food & steaks, $30 cover) and Muranos (French, $35 cover). While I enjoyed all of the specialty restaurants immensely, I think Muranos and Tuscan Grille are better than Silk Harvest in that I can eat at a good Asian meal in Chicago for $25 per/person, but a meal of the quality of Tuscan Grille or Muranos would cost significantly more on land. Muranos is the best choice for a romantic dinner, but I highly recommend trying both Muranos and Tuscan Grille. Silk Harvest is good, but is the one to miss if you don't want to try all three.

[Ricky Chan]

On Equinox there is Silk Harvest (Asian food, $25 cover), Tuscan Grille (Italian food & steaks, $30 cover) and Muranos (French, $35 cover). While I enjoyed all of the specialty restaurants immensely, I think Muranos and Tuscan Grille are better than Silk Harvest in that I can eat at a good Asian meal in Chicago for $25 per/person, but a meal of the quality of Tuscan Grille or Muranos would cost significantly more on land. Muranos is the best choice for a romantic dinner, but I highly recommend trying both Muranos and Tuscan Grille. Silk Harvest is good, but is the one to miss if you don't want to try all three.

 

Also you won't get pampered the way you will receive in Tuscan Grille and Murano for that kind of money on land.

 

Qsiine is not an oriental restaurant, it serves international food. This is an entirely new dining experience which some may not like it. But every person that we talked to on the ship that had dined there before loved it.

 

Ricky

[mobster75]

They also have a variety of panini sandwiches, as well as a salad or two and a soup or two.

 

Just wanted to point out that the phrase "panini sandwiches" would mean "sandwiches sandwiches" as "panini" is the Italian word for sandwiches (A "panino" would be a single sandwich).

[bonsat]

Just wanted to point out that the phrase "panini sandwiches" would mean "sandwiches sandwiches" as "panini" is the Italian word for sandwiches (A "panino" would be a single sandwich).

 

same with "pizza pie." pizza means pie so you are ordering a pie-pie, lol.

[mrs.mobster]

Oh you mean like "shrimp scampi" or "biscotti cookies" ;)

[mobster75]

same with "pizza pie." pizza means pie so you are ordering a pie-pie, lol.

 

No. Pie is "torta". Pizza is just...."pizza"....

[mobster75]

Oh you mean like "shrimp scampi" or "biscotti cookies" ;)

 

Oh, please don't get me started on the cookies...... That would be a whole big thread unto itself...

[Conanc]

Also you won't get pampered the way you will receive in Tuscan Grille and Murano for that kind of money on land.

 

Qsiine is not an oriental restaurant, it serves international food. This is an entirely new dining experience which some may not like it. But every person that we talked to on the ship that had dined there before loved it.

 

Ricky

 

Ricky,

 

I would love to hear more about your experience with Qsine. We were on the Solstice and loved the ship. The speciality restaurants we tried were Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest. We are foodies, and now we are thinking about booking the Eclipse just so we can try Qsine! Thanks!

[Lois R]

Ricky,

 

I would love to hear more about your experience with Qsine. We were on the Solstice and loved the ship. The speciality restaurants we tried were Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest. We are foodies, and now we are thinking about booking the Eclipse just so we can try Qsine! Thanks!

 

Hi Nancy:).....me too. That restaurant sounds soooo different

and really appealing to me:D

[hmg]

I’ll do my best to try and describe Qsine…

You’ve probably seen pictures of the restaurant. If not, search around. It definitely is a bit unusual. Chandeliers look like upside down lamps, chairs are a mix of several styles—the high back chair only has one arm.

There were four of us eating and we were each given iPads that served as our menus. Items could be added to your favorites. We did this, but ended up ordering directly with our “culinary tour guide”, as I believe he was called. Truthfully, he pretty much ordered for us. After a couple of questions he made his suggestions and we went with it.

First up was Spring Rolls. We were give two of the veggie and the baby back, each paired with a delightful sauce. Both were excellent.

Also in our first round of eating was Disco Shrimp and Lava Crab. I felt the shrimp were good—very cute presentation, and the crab was very good.

Our guide also suggested M’s Favorites which I would describe as an assortment of Middle Eastern food. Presentation was again very interesting and the food delicious. There was falafel, hummus, olives, chili (yes, chili!), lamb chops, a goat cheese cigar and a few other dishes.

After that I lost track of what was came and the order in which it came. We passed on the meatballs but did try the Sliders and an assortment of fries called Crunchy Munchies. I’m sorry to say that we also passed on the delicious sounding Lobster Escargot—maybe next time.

The dessert menu is similar to a rubik’s cube. We’re not really dessert people but felt compelled to order so we had beignets and the Magic Bullet which is sorbet and berries, I believe. We were also served chocolate strawberries and crème brulee.

We all agreed that Qsine is a fun gimmick, backed up by great food.

[Lois R]

I’ll do my best to try and describe Qsine…

You’ve probably seen pictures of the restaurant. If not, search around. It definitely is a bit unusual. Chandeliers look like upside down lamps, chairs are a mix of several styles—the high back chair only has one arm.

There were four of us eating and we were each given iPads that served as our menus. Items could be added to your favorites. We did this, but ended up ordering directly with our “culinary tour guide”, as I believe he was called. Truthfully, he pretty much ordered for us. After a couple of questions he made his suggestions and we went with it.

First up was Spring Rolls. We were give two of the veggie and the baby back, each paired with a delightful sauce. Both were excellent.

Also in our first round of eating was Disco Shrimp and Lava Crab. I felt the shrimp were good—very cute presentation, and the crab was very good.

Our guide also suggested M’s Favorites which I would describe as an assortment of Middle Eastern food. Presentation was again very interesting and the food delicious. There was falafel, hummus, olives, chili (yes, chili!), lamb chops, a goat cheese cigar and a few other dishes.

After that I lost track of what was came and the order in which it came. We passed on the meatballs but did try the Sliders and an assortment of fries called Crunchy Munchies. I’m sorry to say that we also passed on the delicious sounding Lobster Escargot—maybe next time.

The dessert menu is similar to a rubik’s cube. We’re not really dessert people but felt compelled to order so we had beignets and the Magic Bullet which is sorbet and berries, I believe. We were also served chocolate strawberries and crème brulee.

We all agreed that Qsine is a fun gimmick, backed up by great food.

 

Hi Helene:)hope you and the family are doing well. Thanks for that

detailed explanation. I think I need to try Eclipse just to eat there:D

[Conanc]

I’ll do my best to try and describe Qsine…

You’ve probably seen pictures of the restaurant. If not, search around. It definitely is a bit unusual. Chandeliers look like upside down lamps, chairs are a mix of several styles—the high back chair only has one arm.

There were four of us eating and we were each given iPads that served as our menus. Items could be added to your favorites. We did this, but ended up ordering directly with our “culinary tour guide”, as I believe he was called. Truthfully, he pretty much ordered for us. After a couple of questions he made his suggestions and we went with it.

First up was Spring Rolls. We were give two of the veggie and the baby back, each paired with a delightful sauce. Both were excellent.

Also in our first round of eating was Disco Shrimp and Lava Crab. I felt the shrimp were good—very cute presentation, and the crab was very good.

Our guide also suggested M’s Favorites which I would describe as an assortment of Middle Eastern food. Presentation was again very interesting and the food delicious. There was falafel, hummus, olives, chili (yes, chili!), lamb chops, a goat cheese cigar and a few other dishes.

After that I lost track of what was came and the order in which it came. We passed on the meatballs but did try the Sliders and an assortment of fries called Crunchy Munchies. I’m sorry to say that we also passed on the delicious sounding Lobster Escargot—maybe next time.

The dessert menu is similar to a rubik’s cube. We’re not really dessert people but felt compelled to order so we had beignets and the Magic Bullet which is sorbet and berries, I believe. We were also served chocolate strawberries and crème brulee.

We all agreed that Qsine is a fun gimmick, backed up by great food.

 

Helene, Thanks for the info! We would like to try the Eclipse over the Equinox or the Solstice again just for the chance to try Qsine. If not, I am excited that the Silhouette is coming to Bayonne in 2011 and we are definitely interested in that! No airfare AND Qsine. Woo-hoo!

 

Hi Lois! :) Did you enjoy sailing from Bayonne?

[Lois R]

Helene, Thanks for the info! We would like to try the Eclipse over the Equinox or the Solstice again just for the chance to try Qsine. If not, I am excited that the Silhouette is coming to Bayonne in 2011 and we are definitely interested in that! No airfare AND Qsine. Woo-hoo!

 

Hi Lois! :) Did you enjoy sailing from Bayonne?

 

Oh yes, very much:):D:) thanks for asking!

[Kaleidoscope]

Just back of the Eclipse where we ate in the Bistro on 5, Tuscan Grille and Qsine.

 

Bistro on 5 was great, particularly on sea days when the main dining room and Oceanview Cafe were both really busy. The soups and salads were great, and meant that my non-crepe loving OH could have choices without it being panini every time.

 

Tuscan Grille was good. The antipasti was superb, and the starter/soups delicious (especially the cioppino fish stew). I didn't strike so lucky with my filet mignon, which had some gristle (same in Blu was much better), but OH's fish was excellent.

 

Qsine was really great fun. We had the lava crab (in shredded filo) and disco shrimp and then went on to the M's favourites, which arrived as little dishes in a large wall like an apartment block of food. I really loved the aubergine dish, the chicken skewers and the lamb chops. I made it as far as a Persian chicken skewer with saffron rice, which was really succuent and served on a knife as big as a small dagger (fortunately removed by the waiter...). OH managed to accommodate two of the Kobe burgers. At this point, I had to break for a constitutional (a brisk walk on deck) before ordering dessert. OH had the surprise, which he really liked, and I ordered the cupcakes. The cupcakes came in a bento box with four trays of sprinkles, and a set of three tubes of icing for you to decorate your cupcakes yourself. Great fun. Don't miss your chocolate strawberries and creme brulee afterwards. I would suggest you don't bother with lunch on the day you go to Qsine. I had cheese and biscuits, and it was still too much...

 

Enjoy!

[Ricky Chan]

Ricky,

 

I would love to hear more about your experience with Qsine. We were on the Solstice and loved the ship. The speciality restaurants we tried were Tuscan Grille and Silk Harvest. We are foodies, and now we are thinking about booking the Eclipse just so we can try Qsine! Thanks!

 

I really don't want to disclose any secret (little hint, you have to use I-Pad to order your meals, the gadget is only on the market for two months!!!!)) or you will loss the fun of eating there. All I will say is it is a very unique dining experience and I bet you may never had that experience before.

 

But warning, no everybody will like it, but every one we talked to on our trip loved it. BYW, it is not AN ASIAN RESTAURANT, AS SOMEONE IN THIS THREAD HAS SUGGESTED.

 

Try it once if you have a chance and see if you like it or not.

 

Ricky