Concierge Class boarding day lunch

[dkjretired]

2 hours ago, Redtravel said:

We have been in concierge class several times. MDR lunch is nice. You would think that the MDR embarkation lunch would be open to aqua class and suite guests. On our last cruise on Summit, we were in aqua class. We went to the MDR and were told that we were not allowed to eat in the MDR. Same thing happened to suite guests. We were told to go to the Buffet. I do not like the Buffet.  It seemed wrong. It was only open to concierge guests.  It wasn't a nice way to start a cruise. Buffet on embarkation day is a zoo. There are too many people and too few tables. We went to the Buffet. There should be a better way to start a cruise.  

 

Luminae is open for suite guests, no need to go to MDR.

[Redtravel]

First day and last day are important.  Too many cruise lines, not just Celebrity, exclude guests from venues that are open on other days.  A bad embarkation or disembarkation can alter your opinion of a cruise.  When you read reviews, there are many that address those 2 days.  Since many people have limited vacation time, they fly in on embarkation day and fly home directly after the cruise.  Until I retired, I did that many times.  Stress levels are high, people are tired, many need a shower, and being directed to a crowded Buffet doesn't give a guest a great impression.  There should be a better way to start a cruise.  Spread out the guests.  Open Luminae, Blu, MDR, specialty restaurants, pool grill, etc. in addition to the Buffet. Add some sandwiches at Al Bacio would be nice.  I wouldn't mind paying extra to avoid the Buffet.  Before Bistro on 5 became Sushi, we liked to eat lunch there.  Since I don't like sushi, I do not go to Sushi on 5.

[sofietucker]

5 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Luminae is open for suite guests, no need to go to MDR.

Perfect! Thanks--our first time in a suite on Celebrity since Luminae/the Retreat opened. So  are there limited times for each meal, as with the other restaurants & MDR, or is it open to walk in all day? I've seen "any time" posted elsewhere but that may have pertained just to dinner. (We'll be fooling around in old town, embarking after 1pm.)

[sofietucker]

4 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

First day and last day are important.  Too many cruise lines, not just Celebrity, exclude guests from venues that are open on other days.  A bad embarkation or disembarkation can alter your opinion of a cruise.  When you read reviews, there are many that address those 2 days.  Since many people have limited vacation time, they fly in on embarkation day and fly home directly after the cruise.  Until I retired, I did that many times.  Stress levels are high, people are tired, many need a shower, and being directed to a crowded Buffet doesn't give a guest a great impression.  There should be a better way to start a cruise.  Spread out the guests.  Open Luminae, Blu, MDR, specialty restaurants, pool grill, etc. in addition to the Buffet. Add some sandwiches at Al Bacio would be nice.  I wouldn't mind paying extra to avoid the Buffet.  Before Bistro on 5 became Sushi, we liked to eat lunch there.  Since I don't like sushi, I do not go to Sushi on 5.

All good points. When we cruise on HAL, we can go to the Mariner luncheon, but you'd better be there on time because they stop serving while they introduce the staff (including the officer at your table, lol). I understand why embarkation is a more hectic day for the stewards having to completely redo the rooms, but otherwise the "feedings" should all be situation normal... Do you know if we can pop into the Retreat Lounge to grab a nibbler during embarkation day? The Neptune Lounge on HAL offers that--heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts.

[dkjretired]

27 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

All good points. When we cruise on HAL, we can go to the Mariner luncheon, but you'd better be there on time because they stop serving while they introduce the staff (including the officer at your table, lol). I understand why embarkation is a more hectic day for the stewards having to completely redo the rooms, but otherwise the "feedings" should all be situation normal... Do you know if we can pop into the Retreat Lounge to grab a nibbler during embarkation day? The Neptune Lounge on HAL offers that--heavy hors d'oeuvres and desserts.

I 

Limited hours all three meals just check the daily’s. Anytime dining means you can go anytime during their open hours as opposed to a set time every night.

 

You can stop in the lounge anytime.

Edited December 1, 2018 by dkjretired

[sofietucker]

Thanks!

[weacat]

Does anyone know if they offer a children’s menu at the concierge lunch?

[Saturngrl]

I've never seen a children's menu for the Concierge lunch.  The chicken and fries is probably the best of the three entrée choices for children.  My friends and I have tried all three entrée choices and they are all good!

[ASell]

On 12/1/2018 at 12:45 PM, m8zenblue said:

The only complaint that I have about the lunch is you are constantly having to deal with waiters trying to sell you dining and beverage packages, very annoying.

 

I am happy to say no one at our table was approached during lunch with any sales pitch. It was a very nice lunch, and good food.

[cltnccruisers]

9 minutes ago, ASell said:

 

I am happy to say no one at our table was approached during lunch with any sales pitch. It was a very nice lunch, and good food.

We we asked about specialty dining at the entrance but then left in peace.

[fleckle]

On 9/30/2018 at 3:07 PM, Janet524 said:

Is there a special lunch in the MDR for Concierge Class guests on board day?

 

 

 

Yes, not only for Concierge Class but for some other passenger categories and visiting travel agents as well.

 

We recently attended as B2B passengers.

The quality of the food was good, but the options were extremely limited.

The menu listed only one item in each category so our choices were essentially take it or leave it (except for dessert , which had 2 items listed.

 

They had only one soup. one salad, one meat dish, one fish, one chicken, and one vegetarian.

 

The 2 desserts listed looked good, but we wanted more choices, so we went up to Cafe Al Bacio for dessert, where they have a much greater variety of selections.

 

 

[Silhouette2017]

I’ve had three of these lunches. So nice to enter the ship and have a tasty relaxing lunch in the beautiful dining room. 

[GoodScout]

If you like the buffets, then the MDR luncheon may not make upgrading to CC worth it for you. 

Me, I hate crowds and hate crowds around a buffet even more, so sitting down to a nice civilized lunch and meeting some of my new shipmates was definitely worth it. I just rebooked another cruise and chose CC from the start. 

Yes, you only get 3 or 4 choices, but that was fine. 

[the_dylaness]

To the poster who asked about a children’s menu, I did not see one specifically in November on the reflection, but our four and seven-year-old did not go hungry. My younger child had the chicken, minus all the sauces and toppings, plus some french fries. It was fine. The waiter was nice enough to cut his meat for him Into small pieces and bring extra ketchup up 😀. My daughter, who is seven years old, had short ribs Which were tender and easy for her to eat. It wasn’t the best selection for small children, but unless they are incredibly picky it was really fine. I’m not sure, but I suspect if you simply asked for a plain grilled chicken and french fries it would be totally doable. Or maybe the pasta with just butter?  We felt like they were accommodating and helpful at the concierge’s lunch.

[DrivesLikeMario]

On 12/1/2018 at 10:30 AM, justcrusn said:

Well, the embarkation lunch is a perk for CONCIERGE class, one of few.

You could have (but didn’t) chosen that class if you got aqua or a suite.

One has to accept some things, and Concierge class cannot eat in Blu or Luminae, nor can Aqua or Suite guests eat at the Concierge lunch.

If it helps to ease your senses, you didn’t miss much, it’s nice don’t get me wrong but not something that makes or breaks a cruise experience.

 

Exactly.  I could've booked Aqua Class and paid $450 less than Concierge Class.  I wanted that location and those perks, so that's what I paid for.  Same with AQ - they get different perks and I wouldn't expect to be able to get those as a CC person.

[varoo]

On 12/2/2018 at 8:05 AM, weacat said:

Does anyone know if they offer a children’s menu at the concierge lunch?

We have not seen a children's menu there, but we have seen some children (and even adults who did not want anything on the embarkation day lunch menu) go up to the pool grill and get plates of hotdogs or hamburgers and accompaniments that they brought down on an elevator to  join the rest of their family at the lunch in the main dining room.

Nobody on the staff in the main dining room voiced any objection to their doing that.

 

It used to be a lot easier for families and friends to gather food from different dining venues and eat lunch together back in the days when they used to have trays available. 

But that is still done a lot, even on non-embarkation days when one person wants food from the buffet and another wants food from the spa cafe or the poolside grill.  It just isn't as easy and convenient now.

               

[MamaFej]

A question for those familiar with the Concierge lunch: for some unknown reason, our Xpress Passes list our "Arrival Appointment" as 3:00-3:30. That is about 4 hours after we planned to embark. Will we be denied boarding if we arrive earlier? What time does the lunch service end?

 

We were also in Concierge Class on our last cruise, but took a tour on the way to the ship, arriving around 4pm, so I didn't even bother looking for the lunch. The tour was more important to us that day.

 

TiA

[dkjretired]

On 1/10/2019 at 10:50 PM, DrivesLikeMario said:

 

Exactly.  I could've booked Aqua Class and paid $450 less than Concierge Class.  I wanted that location and those perks, so that's what I paid for.  Same with AQ - they get different perks and I wouldn't expect to be able to get those as a CC person.

 

Aqua Class gets all the perks of Concierge except the luncheon on embarkation day. Blu for 14 meals more than makes up for that.

[Orator]

31 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

A question for those familiar with the Concierge lunch: for some unknown reason, our Xpress Passes list our "Arrival Appointment" as 3:00-3:30. That is about 4 hours after we planned to embark. Will we be denied boarding if we arrive earlier? What time does the lunch service end?

 

We were also in Concierge Class on our last cruise, but took a tour on the way to the ship, arriving around 4pm, so I didn't even bother looking for the lunch. The tour was more important to us that day.

 

TiA

Ignore the time and board when you want! The time is only a suggestion to spread out the crowd, but is really meaningless.

[DrivesLikeMario]

9 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Aqua Class gets all the perks of Concierge except the luncheon on embarkation day. Blu for 14 meals more than makes up for that.

If Blu is important to you.  To us, it is not.  The cabin location/massive balcony is much better with the CC C1 cabins vs. A1s above the bar. 

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

Ignore the time and board when you want! The time is only a suggestion to spread out the crowd, but is really meaningless.

Thanks, Orator! That's what I was thinking, but a figured more experienced cruisers would be able to tell me for sure.

 

Happy Cruising!

[cruisingnewtoit]

On the Summit in April we could drop our carry-ons off at the room before it was ready. The buffet wasn't  overly crowded. DH & I ate there at 11:45. 

 

We did get sales people trying to upsale us the beverage pckg. Left us alone once they realized we had the premium.

 

[SoCalPhil]

We're on the Aug 9 sailing on Edge in Concierge Class.  Our boarding time is not until 2:30pm.  Is that too late to have access to the lunch in the MDR?  

[aml3679]

My husband and I enjoy the luncheon.  Yes, the menu is limited but you are not fighting the crowd at the Ocean View Cafe and you can sit and get waited on while you wait for the announcement that the rooms are ready.

[davekathy]

35 minutes ago, SoCalPhil said:

We're on the Aug 9 sailing on Edge in Concierge Class.  Our boarding time is not until 2:30pm.  Is that too late to have access to the lunch in the MDR?  

Welcome to CC. You don't have to wait until 2:30 to board the ship. That is only a suggested time.

Edited July 20, 2019 by davekathy