SS. United States Restaurant on Infinity

[Canadianguy]

How does seating work in the speciality restaurants? Do you request your own table or are you randomly seated at large tables like the main dining room?

 

Do you tip separately in the speciality restaurants?

 

Also, I heard that in addition to the $30/pp reservation fee there is another $30/pp surcharge for a speciality menu/meal.

 

Appreciate any comments.

 

Thanks!

[nova1]

There is a $30/ person fee. You may be thinking of the $29 add-on for the wine pairing if you get the Menu Exceptionnel (worth every penny by the way).

 

You don't necessarily reserve a specific table, but you can ask maitre 'd when you get there.

 

The harpist is great if you like to by near music.

 

There is also a private table in a semi-private room for larger parties. I don't believe there's a fee associated with this room.

 

Enjoy--it's a terrific restaurant!

[Iamboatman]

They do not pair you up with other people. If you reserve a table for 2 you will get a table for 2. They may try to accomodate your request for a specific table, but if the people before you are long in dining you may have to take a different table, as they depend on only x number of people being at a certain stage of dinner at a time.

 

The other room is actually the wine cellar. It actually gets rather warm and the fan is noisy, so they encourage everyone not to even think about using the room...so they don't have to hear the complaints later.

 

The evening will be fantastic, no matter what table you are seated at. Enjoy.

[mii]

Four of us made a reservation and were placed at a table for four. You are going to love the speciality restaurant. it is fabulous and the food is outstanding. We did not go for the extra wine pairings but had a marvelous time anyway. Have a great cruise.

 

marilyn

[Canadianguy]

Thanks for all this great input. We are definately going to have at least one dinner in the SS United States. The extra $29 for the wine pairing sounds fantastic. Thanks again!:)

[Char]

You asked if you tip seperately in the specialty restaurant. The $30 covers the tip, however some folks tip extra if the service goes above & beyond. We personally have never tipped extra.

[safein]

ON our cruise on Infinity, we requested and got the wine room. It's big enough for a table for 4. We didn't notice that it was hot. Service was just as good as if we were sitting in the restaurant itself. They do have tables for 2, 4, with 8 being the max at a table.

 

Make sure you don't eat anything between lunch and dinner. The food is that good!

 

Anita

[rjg41]

At the speciality restaurant on any Celebrity ship, if you go more than once on a cruise you will be offered a different off the menu item each additional time you go.

[mferranti]

All the M class specialty restaurants are great. They make an excellent zabaglione for dessert. I highly recommend it.

[RickandAnne]

There is a $30/ person fee. You may be thinking of the $29 add-on for the wine pairing if you get the Menu Exceptionnel (worth every penny by the way).

 

I agree. The wines paired with the meal courses are nearly perfect matches with the food.

 

You don't necessarily reserve a specific table, but you can ask maitre 'd when you get there.

 

DW and I reqested a specific table when we made our reservation on board and they were more than willing to accomodate.

 

Enjoy--it's a terrific restaurant!

AMEN!!

[Libracruzer]

An outstanding restauarant; if you do the wine pairing the menu is more limited. However, that being said, the food and atmosphere are simply sensational.

[xtopher_66]

All I'll add to this discussion is what my wife said after our first meal at the S.S. United States" "Best meal I've ever had".

 

Needless to say, we went back for one more visit during our cruise.

[bubbie617]

We have always felt that the service we received at the specialty restaurant was deserving of an extra gratuity. We usually add $10 to $20 to the $30 per perosn surcharge. If we were having the Menu Exceptionel, I would also add an extra gratuity to the wine bill.

[Jakk]

I get the idea & concept of pairing wine with your meal. But is this a glass of wine with each course? A bottle of wine for the entire meal? Please explain as we will be dining there & would like some more info first. Thanks!

[BSeaBob]

a glass of wine....with each course. and not a large one.....but

 

Still enough to make everything just damn finer :D

[dileep]

The ~$60 menu with wine also has an extra course if I remember right. The wines are well chosen and they do pour a generous portion. We ate in the Specialty restaurant 3 times on our 14 day cruise and had the Menu exceptionale with wine one of those times.

 

The nice thing about this is that some courses go better with white and others with red wine. If you buy wines by the glass with each course, it will cost you more.

 

If you are dining with others they do like everyone to do the food+wine so everyone gets served at the same time.

[SANDY BEACH]

I think I would have to spend the night right there in the restaurant if I were to drink that much wine. How do you walk out? One glass seems to make me drowsy. Two really is my limit at any one sitting.

[zalusky]

I think I would have to spend the night right there in the restaurant if I were to drink that much wine. How do you walk out? One glass seems to make me drowsy. Two really is my limit at any one sitting.

 

Loved the restaurant!!! But I must say each and every time I have been (2 on Infinity, and 2 on Connie), I come out feeling really wiped out. Its very rich food, and adding the various drinks like peppery red wine, and after dinner port. I just sit pray my liver, and kidneys are still working.

[dileep]

I think I would have to spend the night right there in the restaurant if I were to drink that much wine. How do you walk out? One glass seems to make me drowsy. Two really is my limit at any one sitting.

 

Just get the standard 3 course menu for $30 and order as much or as little wine as you want. Most of the recommended wines (there is one listed with each food item) are in the $8 to $32 range, but you can select others. The standard menu

is at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/intowines/detail?.dir=/eab3&.dnm=5d6a.jpg&.src=ph

[Canadianguy]

The standard menu

is at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/intowines/detail?.dir=/eab3&.dnm=5d6a.jpg&.src=ph

 

Thanks for posting the menu. That's great.

[garardo]

A little bit of clarifacation

 

The $30 per person is not a direct tip to the staff. The staff is on a salary and the majority of the $30 goes to pay their salary. The staff does get a small % of the $30 as an incentive. The higher your status as a staff member the larger the %. A lot of the compinsation the staff gets comes from the gratuity generated by the 15% service charge on wine sales. If you bring in a bottle of wine, the cost is $15. $5 goes to the Sommelier and to to the Ship. The more you dine in the ss united states, the more courses of food you can have. We ate there 11 nights out of 14 and only got a menu the first 2 nights. The other nights Angle and Fernando the number 1 and 2 men in the room just asked us what we were in the mood for and that is what we got. The only limitation was the meal had to be French and that was no problen with us. By the end of the trip we were having 7 course meals and taking 3 plus hours to enjoy them.

 

The wine that is poured for the wine paring meal is only a 3 oz. pour with the normal pour being 6oz

garardo

[uktog]

We were on the Infinty in September. We had a beautiful night in the restuarant. When it got later, one of the waiters went and played the piano. He was one of the most talented guys I have ever heard - and then we discovered he was self taught over the last FOUR years. Evidently some of the X HO guys had heard him and offered to pay for him to be trained as a pianist but he has declined as he does it for love. He was married to one of the English girls in the spa and I think he was from Eastern Europe. I hope you can hear him play because he is wonderful

[SANDY BEACH]

Thanks for the menu's. I'm looking forward to eating there next month.