Suites and Dining

[Muushka]

A couple of thoughts, questions.

 

We are considering upgrading to a Sky Suite on a cruise next year. It is a 12 night cruise, nice and long.

 

We are picky eaters. It doesn't have to be fancy dining, just good. Like Lawn Club Grill good.

 

Really, is Luminae a restaurant that you would consider on par with the specialty restaurants?

I remember when Blu came to be, we were so excited. Then we ate there and were not all that excited.

 

We will have the opportunity to try Luminae in July, but we will only dine there for a couple of nights.

 

Also, do they still give specialty dining in suites? The type like we had years ago, 1 for up to 10 nights, 2 for 11 or more. So that on this cruise we would receive 2 dinners each. I saw it recently on the X website, but I fear it is an old perks page.

 

Thank you.:)

[Grandma Gilly]

I have just returned from a 14 nighter on Eclipse. Luminae was excellent, far better than either Murano or Tuscan Grille. We did have two speciality restaurants included but as you suspected, this is no longer a suite perk.

[philpcruiser]

Dining in Luminae is one of the top three reasons why we'll be taking another Celebrity cruise.

[dkjretired]

A couple of thoughts, questions.

 

We are considering upgrading to a Sky Suite on a cruise next year. It is a 12 night cruise, nice and long.

 

We are picky eaters. It doesn't have to be fancy dining, just good. Like Lawn Club Grill good.

 

Really, is Luminae a restaurant that you would consider on par with the specialty restaurants?

I remember when Blu came to be, we were so excited. Then we ate there and were not all that excited.

 

We will have the opportunity to try Luminae in July, but we will only dine there for a couple of nights.

 

Also, do they still give specialty dining in suites? The type like we had years ago, 1 for up to 10 nights, 2 for 11 or more. So that on this cruise we would receive 2 dinners each. I saw it recently on the X website, but I fear it is an old perks page.

 

Thank you.:)

 

The Specialty dining perk was eliminated for all reservations made after the first of the year.

[Chunky2219]

Just off Silhouette on Monday. Luninae food was good quality and very nicely presented.

 

Menu only 3-5 starters and mains, plus whatever you want brought in from MDR which pretty much defeats the object. I sat next to a chap who had French onion soup brought in. A small earthenware bowl of soup capped with a 1/4" of stickly gloop that had once been cheese, same as I'd eaten at lunchtime in Bistro on 5. The menu turned over in less than a week. Staff were very pleasant and attentive but it wasn't a well oiled machine. Some small things rankled, butter was in pretty shapes but too hard, bread had been cut too early so was often dry. Not opening at lunchtime on port days is a major demerit.

 

If you're not fussy eaters it would be fine but we got tired of it. Next time we'll go RS or PH and eat specialty most of the time.

 

Blu was less fancy food but nevertheless very good and you were presented with a basket of soft bread rather than a single piece of rapidly drying baguette.

 

Tuscan Grill still had very enthusiastic service, but the food wasn't a patch on our previous visits, especially the pasta; several others we spoke to found the same. They've hiked the price and it now probably isn't worth it, hence the thin attendance whenever we looked in. Ditto for Bo5, it was okay at $5 but £10 is too much.

 

QSine was very good (as was Silk Harvest last time on Solstice). We didn't use our free specialty trips to go to Murano, which was a mistake, the food was reportedly very good.

 

Whether you get any freebies depends on grade of suite, when you booked and maybe also where. I believe Sky suites still get one for a 14 night voyage but check with your TA or the shore side concierge who will contact you a couple of weeks before sailing.

 

 

.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Chunky2219
typo

[Cruise a holic]

A couple of thoughts, questions.

 

We are considering upgrading to a Sky Suite on a cruise next year. It is a 12 night cruise, nice and long.

 

We are picky eaters. It doesn't have to be fancy dining, just good. Like Lawn Club Grill good.

 

Really, is Luminae a restaurant that you would consider on par with the specialty restaurants?

I remember when Blu came to be, we were so excited. Then we ate there and were not all that excited.

 

We will have the opportunity to try Luminae in July, but we will only dine there for a couple of nights.

 

 

 

Also, do they still give specialty dining in suites? The type like we had years ago, 1 for up to 10 nights, 2 for 11 or more. So that on this cruise we would receive 2 dinners each. I saw it recently on the X website, but I fear it is an old perks page.

 

Thank you.:)

 

Honestly, having sailed on two ships with Luminae. I must say IMO the answer is not as good- but good. We also love the lawn grill and with the credit we were given for our last cruise, purchased the unlimited dining package for the specialty restaurants. We love Qsine, the Lawn Grill, Murano and Tuscan and dined daily for breakfast and some lunches in Luminae. However over the years that we were in Aqua, we felt the food was going downhill. The novelty of the first few cruises we enjoyed it, but how many carrots, celery and hummas can you eat. They need to refresh the food.

 

We will be on the Summit this summer and since we are traveling with a group in sky suites, I would "assume" we will only dine once in each sp restaurant and the rest in Luminae. Also the Silly and Reflection have the best choices when it comes to specialty restaurants as the Lawn grill is also our favorite.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Cruise a holic

[Muushka]

Thanks everyone. I suspected that specialty dining credit was a boo boo on the website. Imagine that.:rolleyes:

 

Most comments seem encouraging about Luminae.

 

We have dined in all specialty restaurants except for Silk Harvest. We enjoy them all, some more than others.

 

We are in a RS for a Summit cruise this summer. We will be in specialty most of the time, but we figure we will check the menus and try Luminae a night or 2.

 

Honestly, having sailed on two ships with Luminae. I must say IMO the answer is not as good- but good. We also love the lawn grill and with the credit we were given for our last cruise, purchased the unlimited dining package for the specialty restaurants. We love Qsine, the Lawn Grill, Murano and Tuscan and dined daily for breakfast and some lunches in Luminae. However over the years that we were in Aqua, we felt the food was going downhill. The novelty of the first few cruises we enjoyed it, but how many carrots, celery and hummas can you eat. They need to refresh the food.

 

We will be on the Summit this summer and since we are traveling with a group in sky suites, I would "assume" we will only dine once in each sp restaurant and the rest in Luminae. Also the Silly and Reflection have the best choices when it comes to specialty restaurants as the Lawn grill is also our favorite.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

I'm with you on the ships that have the best choices because of the Lawn Club Grill. When we saw Silhouette with a 12 nighter, we had to book it. Which is why I started this thread. We may just stay put in our C2 and get the unlimited dining package.:D

[ClaudiaB]

We personally believe that Luminae is one of the best things to happen to Celebrity in a long time. On some sea days last fall (Eclipse) we ate there three times. Yeah we did. They will customize things. On days we went there often, we didn't want big heavy meals all day long. I had them bring me a big plate of greens with a grilled chicken breast on it, with other salad toppings, and a great vinaigrette dressing. Another day they grilled some shrimp for me and brought me a side salad. They have all that stuff in the kitchen and there are so few people to serve, that it doesn't seem to be an issue. You just have to inquire nicely.

Although the menu is not extensive, we had no repeats on 14 nights. Sometimes the descriptions are a bit foo foo sounding. But in reality it was just really great. There was always something we liked.

One thing I liked at lunch was the hamburger. I had them bring it without a bun and put more of the grilled mushrooms, etc. on it. Yum. Yeah the brioche bun would have been wonderful, but too much in the middle of the day. I always get the Mast Grill burgers sans bun as well.

I also had Luminae bring me yogurt and plain berries and granola for breakfast. It's what I eat for breakfast on Celebrity no matter where I am - room service, Oceanview, Blu, MDR or Luminae. They have some yummy looking pastries but I just have to say no somewhere.

 

At the time we had the two free specialty restaurant meals and we only used one - Tuscan Grill, which is our favorite. We will always go there at least once, but I don't imagine we'll ever do unlimited specialty dining as we love Luminae. We've not sailed on a ship with Lawn Club.

 

We also had the best sommelier service ever. Land or sea. She made our meals special and we tried so many different wines that she suggested. Our usual servers were excellent and so attentive, and honestly I ran out of writing room front and back on my comments card that I filled out on day 5 and on day 13 - complimenting people, particularly Luminae staff.

[hvbaskey]

We first experienced Luminae onboard the Equinox last summer and had a phenomenal dining experience. The staff (and in particular the Maitre'D) were quite sensitive to our needs of being Vegetarians (no meat, no fish). The staff couldn't have been more helpful.

 

As Suite guests, we were allowed to dine in Blu (space not being an issue) and our meal was a big disappointment. Loaded with oil, it was the worse meal that we ate during the entire week. Our Maitre'D in Luminae asked us how our Blu experience was and he was very upset (for us) that we had a disappointing meal.

 

We also ate in the SILK specialty restaurant which was absolutely fabulous (particularly for us, "Veggies").

 

In a nutshell, Luminae impressed us enough to book Suites for our next 3 cruises. YES! we were impressed that much. I just hope that the future sailings (all on different ships), live up to the amazing staff we had on the Equinox.

 

Heather

[Cruise a holic]

We first experienced Luminae onboard the Equinox last summer and had a phenomenal dining experience. The staff (and in particular the Maitre'D) were quite sensitive to our needs of being Vegetarians (no meat, no fish). The staff couldn't have been more helpful.

 

As Suite guests, we were allowed to dine in Blu (space not being an issue) and our meal was a big disappointment. Loaded with oil, it was the worse meal that we ate during the entire week. Our Maitre'D in Luminae asked us how our Blu experience was and he was very upset (for us) that we had a disappointing meal.

 

We also ate in the SILK specialty restaurant which was absolutely fabulous (particularly for us, "Veggies").

 

In a nutshell, Luminae impressed us enough to book Suites for our next 3 cruises. YES! we were impressed that much. I just hope that the future sailings (all on different ships), live up to the amazing staff we had on the Equinox.

 

Heather

 

We also book Sky Suites, but we truly enjoy the extra room in the cabin and now that sky suites have access to Michael's club, we really enjoy it. 2 Summers ago, on the Summit we were in a CS. We really had a great time in Michaels every evening- they had entertainment a few evenings as well as a high tea. Unfortunately these functions were not very well attended, so I am glad that they opened up Michael's to Sky Suites which work fine for us. Loved Michaels recently on the Reflection in January, but do not recall entertainment-or we missed it.

[diebroke]

We will be doing a Northern Europe cruise (so the weather will be cool,) & we expect to take most evening meals in Luminae. There are 4 adults & my 2 grandchildren ages 11 & 8. We expect to be well dressed in the evenings no matter where we eat, & the kids will not be in denims or shorts or t-shirts. I was wondering what to expect in Luminae. Are sports jackets normal?

[suec12]

Well my opinion is in the minority. I was not impressed with the cuisine in Luminae - there were a few "home runs" but I felt the choices were limited and the portions, esp. of sides which I usually enjoy, were miniscule. Yes you can ask for more, or special requests, or MDR choices (altho we were not encouraged to do that) but I really didn't want to be making all those requests - I just expected a better menu / cuisine for the money. Now the service and ambiance are excellent - far above the MDR.

 

If it were me, and the choice of the suite was more about the food than the extra space or Michaels' club and such, I would use the money for the dining package. I do not think the food in Luminae is nearly as good as the specialty restaurants. Can you make the decision after your summer cruise, then you will have been to Luminae and will have seen see if it was worth it to you.

[Muushka]

Thanks Sue. I think we may be tending towards the UDP. But we will give Luminae a try in July. Just to be sure.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've sailed in suites twice since Luminae was introduced, and several times prior. I like Luminae because they are more than willing to tailor your dinner to what you want. For example, I like sauces on the side and it only took the 1st night for our server to know that. We want to look at the menu, order our wine and then order our food, again, just one embarkation lunch for our server to know that. They were also more than willing to prepare food to our liking, trout wrapped in bacon, yes, but no bacon for me, no problem.

 

Even though we are in a RS on our B2B I see us dining more in Luminae because the specialty restaurants can become too much for us.

[bob278]

Another vote for Luminae outshining the specialties (except for the Lawn Grill - but I am prejudiced as I love beef). People say the Luminae menu is too limited. Well, they have 3-4 entrees each night on 14 different menus. The specialties have 5 - 7 entrees but only ONE menu.

 

We recently completed a 45-day b2b2b and will admit that the food got to be too much. When I have to have the second line (small print) translated to know what it is, they have gone too "fancy" for me.

 

But they will do just about anything you want. The Cote du boeff (who knew that was sort of a rib-eye?) was a great piece of beef and after I asked twice, there was always a piece available for me. I think I had it about 9 - 10 times over the course of our cruises. They even prepared the pad thai for me a couple of times when it wasn't on the menu.

 

The food is very good (keep in mind you have to like the offering or no matter how well it is prepared, you won't like it) and it is presented extremely well, but it is the flexibility and service that sets Luminae above any restaurant on Celebrity and many fine restaurants we have been to on land.

[JFontaine]

We will be doing a Northern Europe cruise (so the weather will be cool,) & we expect to take most evening meals in Luminae. There are 4 adults & my 2 grandchildren ages 11 & 8. We expect to be well dressed in the evenings no matter where we eat, & the kids will not be in denims or shorts or t-shirts. I was wondering what to expect in Luminae. Are sports jackets normal?

 

Some men wear sports jackets at night. On many nights we (men and women) wore nice denim and sports jackets and we felt that we fit in just fine.

 

Story about Luminae. One night we ate in Tuscan Grill and my mom had the eggplant parm. The head of food and beverages stopped by our table and my mom mentioned how much she loved the dish. The next night in Luminae it magically appeared. We were so touched, and mentioned our delight to the Luminae manager. Next night, unasked, they served it again. She's a picky eater and this type of attention was much appreciated.

[jules815]

Dining in Luminae is one of the top three reasons why we'll be taking another Celebrity cruise.

 

Ditto! We were in a Sky Suite on a 5-night Constellation cruise in March. We did one night in Tuscan Grill (it was complimentary), and while we enjoyed it very much, we missed that one night in Luminae. Booked 2 more cruises while we were on board, both in suites, so we'll be able to dine in Luminae again.

[Lastdance]

I think the food in Luminae can be delicious, but at times has been a little dry without much flavor; however, they will bend over backwards to make something else. As for the Tuscan Grill, I have never had a good meal, so I've stopped going. Murano is excellent and I do still enjoy Blu. Food is so subjective!

Edited May 6, 2016 by Lastdance

[maggie.1008]

I have had my best meals in Murano, Tuscan Grill and Blu. Have been in a suite on 2 different ships and thought Luminae was o.k. Both times ordering from the MDR felt like I was asking for a favor. Great service and ambience but I would only book if the price was right. otherwise I would go to Oceania where the food is outstanding.

[Muushka]

Some men wear sports jackets at night. On many nights we (men and women) wore nice denim and sports jackets and we felt that we fit in just fine.

 

Story about Luminae. One night we ate in Tuscan Grill and my mom had the eggplant parm. The head of food and beverages stopped by our table and my mom mentioned how much she loved the dish. The next night in Luminae it magically appeared. We were so touched, and mentioned our delight to the Luminae manager. Next night, unasked, they served it again. She's a picky eater and this type of attention was much appreciated.

 

That was so nice of them to get her the eggplant.

 

I guess if Luminae strives to serve the very best, that means a lot. Hot food means a lot to me. I don't ask for much! We will definitely give it a try in July. Perhaps I'll dig up this thread and report back! ;)

 

Thanks everyone. You have all been very helpful.

[Project_gal]

We enjoy Luminae very much and, if it had not been introduced, it is unlikely that we would still be cruising.

 

We started cruising in 2006 and gave up eating in the MDR in 2009. From then, we ate only in the specialty restaurants. By 2013, the specialty dining experience had deteriorated so much, we found the whole experience jaded.

 

We have now had two cruises with Luminae and it really suits us. In our opinion, the food and service are excellent. It always amazes me that people find Luminae food "too fancy". We like it because there is usually something on the menu that is totally down-to-earth such as braised beef cheeks - the sort of food we used to crave at the end of a cruise. If we ever have a day when the Luminae menu just does not appeal, the wait staff quickly suggest an alternative. For me [not liking coffee or orange] the deserts are equally great. By the time we stopped going the Murano-type restaurants, there were few deserts I would order.

 

On our first cruise with Luminae, we had one dinner and two lunches in the specialty restaurants and were beyond disappointed with both our meals in the Olympic. The quality of the food and standard of service were dreadful [and remember we knew very well what they should be!]. As an example, two members of the wait staff had a long argument in the middle of the restaurant while we were at lunch. We knew both of them from previous cruises and that would never have happened in the past. Only lunch in Qsine was good but, then, there were only two couples in the restaurant for the whole of the lunch period and any restaurant should be able to cope with that. We did not even bother to try the specialty restaurants on the next cruise except for the Chef's Table and the Chef's Market Discoveries excursion which were both excellent.

[phyllisrf]

For those who book Sky Suites, has anyone stayed in the Suites above the buffet area? (SS 2 class) Your thoughts?. We are booked on Equinox Cabin 2116. Hope we haven't made a mistake.

[suec12]

We were on the Silhouette in one of these suites. I was a bit apprehensive, pre-sail. We did hear some noise usually early in the morning - like carts rolling. It did not bother us - it was not very loud and not too often. Did you look in the "sticky" at the top of this board - you will get more info on that cabin. Ironically, some friends of ours were in another suite in a very different part of the ship and had quite a bit of noise from some work being done in an interior shaft but I think that was maybe a one time repair or retrofit issue - not a problem that would always be there.

[Muushka]

Thank you Project Gal. What you said

We like it because there is usually something on the menu that is totally down-to-earth such as braised beef cheeks - the sort of food we used to crave at the end of a cruise.

really struck me. That is exactly what we find while on a cruise. Restaurants that try to put so much emphasis on presentation and complicated flavors, when in reality all that we want is just down to earth plain old good eats. Reading what you wrote makes me think that it may be a good fit for us.

Has anyone ever figured out if one ship handles Luminae better than another or is it just what people like?

 

For those who book Sky Suites, has anyone stayed in the Suites above the buffet area? (SS 2 class) Your thoughts?. We are booked on Equinox Cabin 2116. Hope we haven't made a mistake.

 

We stayed in 2121 for 12 nights and had no complaints about noise above. Also on Silhouette.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Muushka

[BosoxI]

For those who book Sky Suites, has anyone stayed in the Suites above the buffet area? (SS 2 class) Your thoughts?. We are booked on Equinox Cabin 2116. Hope we haven't made a mistake.

 

We haven't but our friends have on several occasions and had no complaints. Above is better than below

Edited May 6, 2016 by BosoxI