SS Normandie - Summit

[Gambler458]

I see this is the speciality restaurant on the Summit. Anyone know the cost pp? I can't seem to find it on the website. Menu looks awesome.

Thanks,

[Lois R]

I see this is the speciality restaurant on the Summit. Anyone know the cost pp? I can't seem to find it on the website. Menu looks awesome.

Thanks,

 

40.00 per person and it is awesome:):D;)

[Gambler458]

I'm "Select" on Celebrity - any chance of a buy one get one offer in the discount booklet?

[Lsimon]

I'm "Select" on Celebrity - any chance of a buy one get one offer in the discount booklet?

No.

 

Occasionally if their bookings are low they will offer discounts on board. I've read reports from people who have found first night specials at 50% off but never saw that on any of our cruises.

 

But we have seen discounts of 10 or 20% offered in the daily bulletin, or from restuarant personnel, if their business is slow. but you're more likely to see this on longer cruises than the 7 day cruises.

[Jborosara]

save your money - food is good, but very, very heavy. we had rezzies to eat there a second time last february and cancelled - even though it meant we either went buffet or dressed up...

[Lois R]

save your money - food is good, but very, very heavy. we had rezzies to eat there a second time last february and cancelled - even though it meant we either went buffet or dressed up...

 

I love it there. I would suggest they try it at least once:)

As for being very, very heavy? There are ways around that.......

They have some fabulous salads for starters and then a filet

or the fish....it is delicous and not as heavy as some of the other

entrees. Skip the appetizer, no soup....not such a heavy meal;)

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I dined in the Normandie Restaurant during a cruise late last year and greatly enjoyed it. The food and service were excellent. Also, being a huge ocean liner fan, I really appreciated being seated in one of the tables that is next to the original panels from the legendary Normandie ocean liner.

 

Chuck

[Jborosara]

don't want to start an argument - but if you are at all cautious about your diet, think twice.... hubby and i are diligent about what we eat and just found the portions huge and the sauces heavy... we also found the dishes a bit unimaginative - tasty - yes, but not terribly creative.... i just think it is easy to make cream sauces and sugar taste good... so am looking forward to trying Qsine this upcoming Feb on the newly remodeled Summit.... but won't do Normandie again...

[Lois R]

Not arguing:D....:) we are giving the original poster differing

opinions about Normandie....:) and I am sure they will make

whatever decision is best for them:)

[krca11]

Had 3 fabulous meals in Murano (specialty restaurant) including a lunch. We were told it's rolling out fleetwide as a test and was $25 per person. It was wonderful! We really enjoyed the ambiance in the room during the day - the large windows and oceanviews were beautiful!

 

The lunches were very well attended...hopefully this may roll out as a permanent thing.

[librarylady19]

We enjoyed Normandie so much that we ate there 3 times on our last cruise. We did not find the food overly heavy or sauced. Service was wonderful. I especially appreciated having a waiter who did nothing but keep us replenished with their wonderful bread selection. I have a number of photos and info. In my review (link below).

If you are a Suite guest, you may be offered a complimentary dinner the first evening (it was $5 pp gratuity but we tipped much more).

[kitkat9438]

I agree with Sandi and Lois. Food was not heavy. It all depends on what you order. It is excellent and well worth the money. I had the filet and lobster tail with chocolate souffle for dessert. Heavenly! I can't wait to go again in December.

[Topo Gigio]

I went to the Normandie last year and it was AWESOME! I paid 30usd, so I guess the price has gone up. one of the best piece of meat I have eaten. About being heavy just tell the waiter to bring the sauce seperately. I just ate last wknd at the local Hyatt and paid $45 just for the much smaller piece of meat which btw was also excellent.

[Gracie115]

don't want to start an argument - but if you are at all cautious about your diet, think twice.... hubby and i are diligent about what we eat and just found the portions huge and the sauces heavy... we also found the dishes a bit unimaginative - tasty - yes, but not terribly creative.... i just think it is easy to make cream sauces and sugar taste good... so am looking forward to trying Qsine this upcoming Feb on the newly remodeled Summit.... but won't do Normandie again...

 

 

I ASSURE you Qsine is not for someone watching their diet. There is so much food that unless you are at a large table of 6 or more there is far more than you can eat. It's an interesting presentation of many items, but many are also items found on the buffet during the day, so not gourmet by any means. We came away from Qsine uncomfortably full, and even skipped a course or two towards the end....

 

On the other hand I do disagree with you about the Normandie. I think it's the best Specialty restaurant at sea. The service is impeccable, the food excellent and the wine even better. Were we full when done? Of course, but the food is far better quality than what is found in Qsine and it's a lot easier to eat less when there are only 4 courses versus the 10 or more at Qsine!!

 

Just my opinion of course....if you truly want to try lighter food on Summit then book into Aqua and eat in the new Blu that will be part of the Solstization. We book Aqua everytime because of the lighter sauces and less sodium and wonderful service offered at Blu!!

[Fisherlady48]

We enjoyed Normandie so much that we ate there 3 times on our last cruise. We did not find the food overly heavy or sauced. Service was wonderful. I especially appreciated having a waiter who did nothing but keep us replenished with their wonderful bread selection. I have a number of photos and info. In my review (link below).

If you are a Suite guest, you may be offered a complimentary dinner the first evening (it was $5 pp gratuity but we tipped much more).

 

Thanks for the link to your cruise. I am sailing this itinerary on the 5th Nov and this is exactly what I needed to read.

 

Thanks again.

 

K

[jdvmd]

The price has gone up to $40 a person.

 

I have always LOVED the experience of eating in the Olympic, Normandie BUT this past April on the Summit, the experience was not the same.

 

I truly believe it was because we had a late reservation on the last night of the cruise.

 

When our party of seven, left the restaurant, all the servers etc. where just sitting around a table at the entrance. It was as if we had worn out our welcome and they couldn't wait to get rid of us.

 

The food was not the usual great stuff either. Things weren't offered etc. I won't say I won't return as I truly think it was because of our timing.

 

And, yes, we did try to get a reservation earlier in the week but to no avail.

[Fisherlady48]

Just returned from the Summit. Our dinner in the Normandie was easily one of my top 3 dining experiences. It was so delish!! Mom had the lobster and I had the filet. yumm

[FrankinPA]

The price has gone up to $40 a person.

 

I have always LOVED the experience of eating in the Olympic, Normandie BUT this past April on the Summit, the experience was not the same.

 

I truly believe it was because we had a late reservation on the last night of the cruise.

 

When our party of seven, left the restaurant, all the servers etc. where just sitting around a table at the entrance. It was as if we had worn out our welcome and they couldn't wait to get rid of us.

 

The food was not the usual great stuff either. Things weren't offered etc. I won't say I won't return as I truly think it was because of our timing.

 

And, yes, we did try to get a reservation earlier in the week but to no avail.

 

Wow, what a shame. We had the exact opposite experience in the SS United States on Infinity. We ate there several times during our 15 night cruise including the final night which happened to be the final night before their dry dock. There were four of us that night and the food and service was just outstanding. We were about the last table to leave and almost all the servers and management came to us and thanked us for dining there during the cruise. Absolutely no indication of a drop off in quality of food or service. They even prepared Bananas Foster table side for us and it was not on the menu. We look forward to going back there some day.

[Redtravel]

I have had good, bad, and so so food in the Normandie. It's not consistent. It is a change from the MDR. I do not always book a specialty restaurant. At $40pp, it costs a couple an extra $80 for dinner that is already included in your cruise fare. That's a lot. Unless you have extra OBC that isn't refundable or just some extra cash that is burning a hole in your pocket, you might think twice about paying that much extra for dinner.

[mrjim]

Had 3 fabulous meals in Murano (specialty restaurant) including a lunch. We were told it's rolling out fleetwide as a test and was $25 per person. It was wonderful! We really enjoyed the ambiance in the room during the day - the large windows and oceanviews were beautiful!

 

The lunches were very well attended...hopefully this may roll out as a permanent thing.

 

What was on the menu? Was it different than the evening menu?

[kitty9]

save your money - food is good, but very, very heavy. we had rezzies to eat there a second time last february and cancelled - even though it meant we either went buffet or dressed up...

 

We dine in the specialty restaurants every night on our cruises. We absolutely love the food and service and have never found the food heavy.

[Keith1010]

I just wanted to note that the cuisine, service and the ambience was terrific.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

We dined in Normandie about 6 weeks ago and thought the overall experience was pretty good. The question should be is it worth the extra charge...and that is debatable. We were annoyed by a couple of things in Normandie. They use their own wine list where most of the offerings have ridiculous prices. It is difficult to order a wine for less then $40 (+ 15%) off of that list. Our other issue really annoyed DW. She is a tea drinker and was shocked to see that after paying extra money to dine in Normandie she would have to pay extra (I think it was $4) for a cup of tea. DW looked at me and wondered if she could order hot water and go up to the Lido and get a tea bag (free). I must agree with her in that we have dined in many alternative restaurants of other cruise lines and never been charged for tea or coffee. Before we get flamed for this last comment, keep in mind that cruise passengers have already paid for their coffee and tea in the cruise fare...not to mention the extra fee for Normandie.

 

Hank

[Lsimon]

.... Our other issue really annoyed DW. She is a tea drinker and was shocked to see that after paying extra money to dine in Normandie she would have to pay extra (I think it was $4) for a cup of tea. DW looked at me and wondered if she could order hot water and go up to the Lido and get a tea bag (free). I must agree with her in that we have dined in many alternative restaurants of other cruise lines and never been charged for tea or coffee. Before we get flamed for this last comment, keep in mind that cruise passengers have already paid for their coffee and tea in the cruise fare...not to mention the extra fee for Normandie.

 

Hank

 

They obviously brought her a cup of the "premium organic" tea sold at the coffee bar as opposed to the basic no-extra charge tea. This is a premium product just as an espresso is compared to regular coffee.

 

But I think it is terrible that they brought her this tea rather than the basic without asking. If it happened to us I'd raise a big stink about it. In the past we've enjoyed the regular no-extra charge coffee and tea in the specialty restaurant. I wonder if they've stopped serving that or if they just 'stepped' you up to the extra cost item without asking.

 

We love the specialty restaurants and usually eat there several times a cruise. Last March on the Constellation we had very mixed service in Ocean Liners whereas it has always been close to flawless in the past. I hope this isn't a trend of lower level service in the specialty restaurants. On the same cruise we ate several times at the newer Tuscan Grille on the Connie and had wonderful meals and service there.

 

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to head to the specialty restaurants on the ship. Despite the comments above, I think they offer fantastic food and service at a reasonable upcharge. Yes some of the food is heavy, and since they are deliciously appealing items many are drawn to them, but there are some great lighter options available too. I realize these places are not for all as we all have different tastes and budgets but we plan on eating a few meals in the specialty restaurants on upcoming cruises as well.

[FrankinPA]

We ate six times in the SS United States during our recent 15 night cruise. We had coffee following every meal and there was no charge. We also found many good wines at reasonable prices on the list. Markups vs retail were normal for a good restaurant.