Why are the Specialty Restaurants so Popular?

[Cruising89143]

For March 2014 I'm looking for a short vacation, only 7 nights.

A 7 n. Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Silhouette will cost us $1049 per person in the cheapest Veranda stateroom.

 

If not cruising, I still want to go to the Caribbean. I have a look at St. Maarten. Since I definitly think Celebrity is comparable with a 5 star hotel (service on the ships is even much, much better than in most hotels), I have a look at the Westin. The same 7 nights (although not all inclusive!) will cost us a total of $2415. If I want an oceanview (which I do have on the Silhouette!!) I will have to pay $3150.

 

Guess we will be spending the difference ($1052) in the specialty restaurants and on the premium alcohol package :D

 

We just have a different view on things.:rolleyes:

 

I agree. We just booked the Reflection for seven nights and I plan to book five nights in specialty restaurants. It all comes down to choice and it's nice to have options.:)

[OCruisers]

I think you will be very lucky to find Sole served in any cruise ship MDR. The problem is that Dover Sole (the stuff we all love) has become very expensive. In the past some cruise ships/lines would serve pacific sole.....but now this is considered a moderate risk for sustainability. Nearly (if not all) the mass market lines have adopted policies of trying to use only sustainable seafood.

Hank

 

Love Dover Sole! We haven't seen it offered in the cruise line specialty restaurants recently either. :o

 

LuLu

~~~~~

[Despegue]

An alternative for the "Dover" sole, caught by the way in the Belgian North Sea ;), is the "lemon sole", which is a smaller variety, not as refined but still a very good fish. its name has nothing to do with Lemons but comes from the French " Sole Limande".:)

[just_looking]

...

Eating in Murano or it's equivalent on various M-Class has disappointed us the last few visits. The cheese course, which used to be the highlight and an educational experience, has been downgraded and served by waiters who have no clue on what they are serving.

...

 

I guess this varies by ship. We were on the Summit in April and ate in the Normandie 3 times. We LOVED it, and the cheese course was good, but nothing to write home about.

 

Then we were on the Millennium last week and ate in the Olympic. The cheese course was simply AMAZING. There were about a dozen selections and the waiter described each one in detail. All four in our party got a customized plate based on what we told him we like.

 

That said - we only paid half price for our nights last week in the Olympic and Qsine. Having already experienced both on the Summit, we would have been willing to pay up to a 20% discount level in the Olympic and were hoping for a 50% discount in Qsine. Luckily we scored 50% in both. (we were offered the 2-for-1 at Qsine when we checked in, then had a notice in our AQ room about 2-for1 at either venue).

[just_looking]

For March 2014 I'm looking for a short vacation, only 7 nights.

A 7 n. Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Silhouette will cost us $1049 per person in the cheapest Veranda stateroom.

 

If not cruising, I still want to go to the Caribbean. I have a look at St. Maarten. Since I definitly think Celebrity is comparable with a 5 star hotel (service on the ships is even much, much better than in most hotels), I have a look at the Westin. The same 7 nights (although not all inclusive!) will cost us a total of $2415. If I want an oceanview (which I do have on the Silhouette!!) I will have to pay $3150.

 

...

 

We just have a different view on things.:rolleyes:

 

I will have to agree with your last statement that we all have a different view, so it's great that we have choices. ;)

 

But although I've loved our 2 cruises on Celebrity, there is no comparison whatsoever to nice resort hotels (Westin, Renaissance, Marriott, etc.) Most of them have rooms and balconies that are twice the size of those in a stateroom, and the bedding and furnishings are more luxurious. And yes, we get turn-down service at most of them with a chocolate on our pillow. I'm not sure what else a room attendant on the ship does other than morning cleaning and evening towel-replacement and turndown, that makes it 5-star?

 

Also the cost for the nicer properties doesn't have to be prohibitive - we have stayed at some fabulous properties for under $200/night by looking for deals. Admittedly, these have been in Hawaii, California, Florida, and Mexico so you might not find similar deals in the Caribbean; I don't know.

 

I'm a recent cruising convert and love it. :) But land vacations have their benefits; we are still excited about those, too!

[Redtravel]

I have eaten at many specialty restaurants. Some were good. Some were great. A few were really bad. Often we have been comped. It is a nice change from the large dining room. The MDR has very good food. The specialty restaurants charge various fees. Many have increased the fee to $45pp. When you consider that you have already paid for dinner in the MDR. The extra $45 is outrageous. On my last cruise, I ate all dinners in the MDR. I did eat at Bistro on 5 for one lunch. Bistro at $5 is nice. Great food and service.

[BEAV]

Why don't we ever see threads about people aghast at the fact they saw someone put $45 in a slot machine in the casino? And get NOTHING in return?

 

:eek::D:eek::D:D:eek:

[HopefulCruiser123]

I think that ships have gotten larger (much larger) and having to serve exceptional meals in the MDR to so many more passengers is the biggest reason for the decline in quality. Specialty restaurants allow them to isolate and concentrate on a smaller task and brings back what used to be standard fare on smaller cruise ships. I agree that $45 per person is high.

[Milhouse]

I suppose our reasoning for paying for specialty restaurants is similar to comments in a number of previous threads.

We currently only cruise every other year so specialty restaurants are still novel to us when we go. The selection of menu items is also appealing. I'm not sure if we'd get tired of hitting up every specialty restaurant like we currently try to do now if we cruised more frequently or if we would go more often to switch it up from the MDR.

 

IMO, the food in the specialty restaurants is generally better than the MDR because it's made to order. While I don't have major complaints about the MDR, it's still banquet style with the limitations that go along with it.

But I also have to agree that specialty restaurants aren't necessarily way better than what you find on land. Silk Harvest is a prime example IMO.

 

While the service in specialty restaurants is generally more responsive because of the server to diner ratios (and we find the servers generally very nice), I kind of like the rapport you build with your wait team in the MDR over the course of the cruise (which is even doable in Select dining).

 

Cost-wise, $40+ per person for a single seating is a bit high, particularly if going to multiple specialty restaurants. But doing a package, reduces the average rate to about $30pp. And again, more often than not, it's typically at least partially funded by our OBC's.

Even at $30pp, is it worth it? Hmm, it's debatable, leaning towards not. But, we're somewhat foodies so we're ok splurging a bit on the food bill when we're on vacation. That's our vice.

 

 

One concept I'd like to toss around is global food inflation. IIRC, one of the QA questions posed to ask about food quality was if X cut its food budget; to which the answer was no. I think a more apropos question would have been "How has X managed or increased its food budget in the wake of global food inflation?".

[Cruise a holic]

Hi everyone-- I'm sincerely asking this question so please don't flame me. For several years I've felt that one of the contributing factors to the decline of the food quality, selections and service in the MDR is the advent of the specialty restaurants and the added revenue accruing to X as a result. I boycotted going in the belief that if everyone stopped supporting them, X would consider closing them and then the service, food etc in the MDR would rise again. Because we didn't bring formalwear on our 5/24/13 Millenium Alaska Cruise (we went on a pre and post tour and didn't have room in the luggage) we finally gave in and ate in the Olympia Restaurant (sic?) Honestly it was NOT worth the $45/pp upcharge. Yes it was good but we've had equal and better in upscale land restaurants where we live in the metro Atlanta area.

 

Why pay extra for something that is included in your cruise fare? a $45 per person upcharge is quite high?

 

 

Other than perhaps not having to dress for formal night (which by the way I'm sure X did intentionally as a draw for passengers not wanting to dress up), please explain the rationale for spending money in the specialty restaurants?? (I'm not talking about Bistro on 5)

 

Thanks and I hope we can have an informative discussion.

 

While I do agree that the price is high, the experience is wonderful. The quality of the food and the service is typically excellent. As one poster stated you feel special and get away from the banquet experience in the MDR. We take dining packages, which allow us to dine at a 30% discount. In addition, if you want to try the specialty restaurant, typically you get a nice discount the first night on board.

 

With the Solstice class ships, you have many options so the packages make sense. We especially love the lawn grill, which is just like a fine steak house. On land a good dinner for two in NYC could cost $300 with tax and tips. However, you must consider your budget. The Aqua class restaurant resembles a speciality restaurant. The food isn't as good, but it dosen't have the mass production feel as in the main dining room. We enjoy Bistro on Five for our boarding lunch, it sets the relaxed tone for our vacation.

[lexmiller]

We typically sale Aqua Class solely to have the advantage of Blu, but we are sailing standard veranda class in September on Silhouette in order to eat in Q-Sine at least twice! We are HUGE Q-Sine fans - at least on Q-Sine on Summit, we found the food to be expertly cooked (whereas in Normandie, which is the same as Murano, we had to send my lamb back as it was nearly raw:eek:). So essentially, we are parlaying the Aqua Class upcharge into the upcharge for Q-Sine! The food is whimsical, extremely creative - like nothing we have had and with modesty, culinarily speaking, we know of what we speak. There is a great chance that we will be able to get a discount on the upcharge, so, maybe we will eat there 3 times! :p

[midwestchick]

I doubt very much that we will be utilizing any speciality restaurants on our cruise....not for $45.00 pp, that is. I would also like to find out if and when they offer the discounts. If the discount is 50%, I'll definitely try one...probably Murano.

[Lois R]

I doubt very much that we will be utilizing any speciality restaurants on our cruise....not for $45.00 pp, that is. I would also like to find out if and when they offer the discounts. If the discount is 50%, I'll definitely try one...probably Murano.

 

Hi Nancy, you will have to wait until you board the ship. At that time

you will be able to find out what is being offered for your particular

sailing. They usually have a table set up at the entrance to the buffet

with wait staff answering those questions.

They also (in my experience) sometimes have wait staff and a table

set up in the "check in" area at the terminal (depending on where the

cruise is sailing from).

Sometimes it is bogo....(buy one, get one), sometimes it is a %.....

[midwestchick]

Hi Nancy, you will have to wait until you board the ship. At that time

you will be able to find out what is being offered for your particular

sailing. They usually have a table set up at the entrance to the buffet

with wait staff answering those questions.

They also (in my experience) sometimes have wait staff and a table

set up in the "check in" area at the terminal (depending on where the

cruise is sailing from).

Sometimes it is bogo....(buy one, get one), sometimes it is a %.....

 

Thanks, Lois. I'll make note of that so I'll remember to check when we board. Happy we'll be there 5 days before we cruise so the jet lag will be worn off.

[tofubeast]

 

I do believe there has been a decline in the quality of the MDR food due to the rise in pay restaurants. I think of all the cruises we have taken, only twice have we been to pay restauants: once, because the Murder Mystery was held in the pay restaurant that included wine with the meal...we did that for the entertainment experience.

 

Not trying to hijack but are there Murder Mystery dinners on Celebrity?

[lexmiller]

Not trying to hijack but are there Murder Mystery dinners on Celebrity?

 

Not ever to my knowledge, but it sounds super fun!

[Lois R]

Not trying to hijack but are there Murder Mystery dinners on Celebrity?

 

No, there are not.

[Hlitner]

If you cannot get a decent discount at the beginning of the cruise do not give up. Simply approach the maître d (or whoever is staffing the desk) at the desired restaurant when things are quiet....and politely ask if they are offering any special discounts. You never know until you ask :)

 

Hank

[flag fan]

I think there are a lot of good reasons for dining in a specialty restaurant:

- a little variety in terms of location and ambience

- food of a certain cuisine (Italian, Asian)

- no need to dress formally (not a concern of mine, and less relevant with optional formal days)

- a chance to dine with different tablemates (friends met on board) or alone (if dining otherwise in a traditional dining with set dinner mates)

- chance to dine at a different time (if otherwise in traditional dining)

- better food and service (in many, if not all, cases).

Weigh this against the extra cost--but you're on vacation and in the grand scheme of things, it is a pretty small percentage of the cost of the cruise.

 

I try to dine in as many venues as possible in order to experience as much as possible of what a ship has to offer. The best meal I have ever had was on the Normandie on the Summit a number of years ago (it may have changed since then). I certainly think these experiences are worth the (relatively) little extra.

[Cruise a holic]

I think there are a lot of good reasons for dining in a specialty restaurant:

- a little variety in terms of location and ambience

- food of a certain cuisine (Italian, Asian)

- no need to dress formally (not a concern of mine, and less relevant with optional formal days)

- a chance to dine with different tablemates (friends met on board) or alone (if dining otherwise in a traditional dining with set dinner mates)

- chance to dine at a different time (if otherwise in traditional dining)

- better food and service (in many, if not all, cases).

Weigh this against the extra cost--but you're on vacation and in the grand scheme of things, it is a pretty small percentage of the cost of the cruise.

 

I try to dine in as many venues as possible in order to experience as much as possible of what a ship has to offer. The best meal I have ever had was on the Normandie on the Summit a number of years ago (it may have changed since then). I certainly think these experiences are worth the (relatively) little extra.

 

We enjoy dining in the specialty restaurants. We always dress formal and elegantly most evenings regardless of the dining venue . It makes a special dining experience that much richer, IMO. We love the service of the speciality restaurants and for an extra cost truly feel that each meal is a party. However, everyone has to do what works with their budget and personal taste. If you dine in the Normandie each day you can have a different well prepared excellent dish. Qsine is also a wonderful experience. Perhaps it shouldn't be, but the food and ambiance in the specialty restaurants is surely a cut above the MDR and Blu.

[POPDISPLAY]

If you cannot get a decent discount at the beginning of the cruise do not give up. Simply approach the maître d (or whoever is staffing the desk) at the desired restaurant when things are quiet....and politely ask if they are offering any special discounts. You never know until you ask :)

 

Hank

 

I took it 1 step farther.

They were offering everybody 20% off. I asked if that was the best they could do. "What do you mean" he asked. I explained that I would be willing to book a table for a 50% discount. "Sorry, not at this time."

 

I agree, $45 on top of what passengers have already paid for an mdr meal is too expensive. especially for frozen and thawed meat, fish, and poultry. We wouldn't spend $60 per couple for Chinese food in our home town. Effectively paying more than that if you add in the value the the mdr meal you're forgoing, seems pretty crazy to me.

[Oville]

I agree with so many here. The new pricing is outrageous for food that is not totally wonderful. Our last 4 or 5 experiences in Muranos were at best so so with perhaps a highlight or two. Qsine has no appeal to us as we are not huge eaters and would feel very sated after a few courses. We did enjoy the Lawn Club and will return on future cruises and Bistro on 5 is such a great bargain whether for lunch or dinner.

[SoBe2010]

Just back from Equinox last week.

 

Specialty restaurants were sold out for days in advance. We got only 20% discount on 35$ in Tuscan when we had an overnight in Venice and another 20% on 30$ in Silk on the last night of the cruise. Otherwise it was hard to get a table even for full price.

 

We had some newbie´s with us, that´s why we went. We don´t go for 20% off as it is still to expensive for our taste.

Btw. we still had the old pricing on this Equinox Cruise. (Tuscan 35$ -20% and Silk 30$ -20%).

[I&J Cruisers]

Love Dover Sole! We haven't seen it offered in the cruise line specialty restaurants recently either. :o

 

LuLu

~~~~~

 

We had dover sole at Murrano on Silohouet last year. I' disapointed that they no longer have it. Was looking forward to ordering it again on Reflection next January.

[K.T.B.]

My wife and I went to Qsine on our last cruise and we loved it. The price paid was well worth in as far as we were concerned.

 

We're looking forward to going again on the next cruise. $45pp is not a huge amount to pay for a unique experience. I have paid a LOT more for similar meals elsewhere.

 

As for why the specialty restaurants do not look all that busy, it's because of the length of time each table/group spends there. You're not going there for a quick meal. It's literally a 2 and half hour "event". At least it was at Qsine. Now if they fill up every single table by, say, 6PM, they're not seating again until at least 8:45.... if they spread things out a bit over the entire night, they'll maximize their ability to serve as many people as possible.