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is it a problem getting simple food in Lumanie?

stipmom

By stipmom,
in Celebrity Cruises

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MikeMary4449

MikeMary4449

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, stipmom said:

Can you get steak or chicken without sauce?

I have a friend who is a very fussy eater looking to get a suite for the space on the Infinity.

Thanks

Hi stipmom: We have been in Luminae on many "M" and "S" class ships, including Infinity.

It has never been a problem to get anything on the menu served anyway you want it.

The waiters are very accommodating.  Have a wonderful cruise!

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Jim_Iain "Live from...." Rare

Jim_Iain

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Posted

All orders in Luminae are cooked per order and can be prepared with our without whatever you wish.   On M and S you will also be able to order from MDR menu (some ship allow Blu but this is an exception).   On Edge you can only order from the Luminae menu due to distance between kitchens.     On all ships they have every day items of Steak, Chicken, Salmon, Caesar Salad.    One hidden gem we use on longer b2b cruise is order off the Children's menu they have a 4 ounce Filet, Mac and cheese, Fish strips etc.    Can make a nice change.   If you want something special make a request to the Restaurant Manager 24 hours in advance and they will accommodate.

 

If you don't want sauces or don't like an ingredient just ask and they will either serve on the side or eliminate completely. 

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ClaudiaB

ClaudiaB

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Posted

Yes, they are very accommodating.    I like salads and greens.  I've asked for a plate of greens with just a grilled chicken or salmon on it, and some other things - vinaigrette, etc.  NO problem, it's all in the kitchen already. 

I've also asked for more green beans or broccoli on the plate before - instead of just a little garnish.  No problem.  

 

I'm not fussy but sometimes I just want things simpler or my way.   They'll leave off sauces or change the sides.  If it's something more complicated or not on the menu, perhaps contact them earlier in the day.  They really do try to please.  

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cangelmd

cangelmd

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Posted

I was in Luminae on Reflection in November and I got a little push back when I asked for a filet one evening when that wasn't on the menu. I don't know why, it was toward the end of a 10 day cruise - maybe it was as simple as they were running low and the waiter didn't want to commit to my request until he was sure that filet was available. I did get a filet, although a bit later I heard the same waiter tell a woman at another table that they couldn't do that - maybe i asked nicely?

 

My point is that they do have limits and want to be accomodating but not promise something they can't deliver. Politeness goes a long way.

 

I share some of ClaudiaB's tastes - I am an adventurous eater, but I also like simple green salads and green veggies, and that is not common in Luminae. My next  longer cruise I may ask on the first or second night if I can have green salad with vinaigrette, or Caesar with the dressing on the side or broccoli each evening and see what they say. Should be possible.

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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

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The snag with the Luminae menu is it does look ‘fancier’ than it is...

When we first cruised Luminae we used to ask exactly what some of the dishes were...once or twice we asked for the ‘sauce on the side’...

 

Yes, the staff will accommodate more simple food but in our experience Luminae isn’t that fancy and your friends may find that if they firstly ask the waiter to describe the meals (rather than relying on the menu) and secondly if they ask for ‘sauce on the side’ they may enjoy the standard menu...

 

 

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Jim_Iain "Live from...." Rare

Jim_Iain

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, chemmo said:

The snag with the Luminae menu is it does look ‘fancier’ than it is...

When we first cruised Luminae we used to ask exactly what some of the dishes were...once or twice we asked for the ‘sauce on the side’...

 

Yes, the staff will accommodate more simple food but in our experience Luminae isn’t that fancy and your friends may find that if they firstly ask the waiter to describe the meals (rather than relying on the menu) and secondly if they ask for ‘sauce on the side’ they may enjoy the standard menu...

 

 

I agree and sometimes the description doesn't match at all what comes out.  Deserts especially look like deconstructed from the generic description.   What comes to mind is the Pavlova and Black Forrest -   Delicious but look nothing like expected.

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Pushka

Pushka

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Justalone said:

New to cruising.   Thinking of either Celebrity or Oceania.  Me fussy as well about food.   On Celebrity can I get chicken prepared medium rare?

Chicken isnt to be eated medium-rare - its either cooked or not!

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MEcruzr

MEcruzr

Posted
Posted

You can request steamed veggies with your meal. I just let them know that I will want them every night and they show up. You can ask for enough for your table, too, and they will bring a platter out to share. They aren't exciting and rarely do I get anything but a medley of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots... but it's vegetables!! The MRD will also do this.

 

If a dish is described as having a vegetable as a side, I will I request "no starch, double vegetable" and that works both in Luminae and the MDR. 

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JaneStarr

JaneStarr

Posted
Posted (edited)
22 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I was in Luminae on Reflection in November and I got a little push back when I asked for a filet one evening when that wasn't on the menu. I don't know why, it was toward the end of a 10 day cruise - maybe it was as simple as they were running low and the waiter didn't want to commit to my request until he was sure that filet was available. I did get a filet, although a bit later I heard the same waiter tell a woman at another table that they couldn't do that - maybe i asked nicely?

 

My point is that they do have limits and want to be accomodating but not promise something they can't deliver. Politeness goes a long way.

 

I share some of ClaudiaB's tastes - I am an adventurous eater, but I also like simple green salads and green veggies, and that is not common in Luminae. My next  longer cruise I may ask on the first or second night if I can have green salad with vinaigrette, or Caesar with the dressing on the side or broccoli each evening and see what they say. Should be possible.

Like everything Celebrity, the answer is “it depends”.  Things vary from ship to ship and cruise to cruise in my experience. It may also depend if you are in an RS or higher (due to including unlimited specialty dining).

 

I have a shellfish allergy and prefer simply prepared “ordinary” proteins (like chicken, steak, pork chop, mild fish fillets).  That often leaves me with nothing on the Luminae menu that’s appealing.  I’ll admit that I do not have an adventurous palate.

 

On some cruises, I’ve been stuck with the Main dining room (lesser quality) “always available” tough steak or dried out chicken fillet.

 

Most recently, on the Solstice B2B Transpacific, the Luminae wait staff bent over backwards to accommodate my tastes. I wasn’t at all demanding, but they weren’t happy to find I’d eaten a stir-fry in the OceanView one night early in the cruise.

 

If I had desired it, they would’ve let me have a filet mignon from Tuscan Grille every night. One man at a table next to us did just that.

 

They saw that I enjoyed berries, so they gave them to me with breakfast daily and also when the amuse bouche was something I couldn’t eat (shellfish).

 

As far as the mixed results requesting filet, perhaps it had to do with whether the suite level included unlimited specialty dining. Just speculating.  I’ve been “surprised” one cruise with a filet on the last or 2nd to last night. I believe were were in a CS that cruise, so they probably have some discretion.

 

Jane

Edited by JaneStarr
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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

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Posted (edited)

Firstly, the Luminae menus are restricted and pictures or descriptions of what some of the meals actually are would be useful...The ‘playful’ menu can make choosing difficult for those unfamiliar.

 

I think that the main difference in Luminae being able to accommodate alternative dishes is more about communication and planning than cabin status....

 

Guests with specific dietary needs tend, on boarding, to arrange that at the end of each evening meal they will look at the next day’s menu and decide with the M’D or their waiter modifications/alternative offerings.

 

The problem  for ‘ faddy eaters’  is they often feel more uncertain expressing their needs/wants. They simply don’t want to be seen as difficult and consequently end up choosing what seems ‘least offensive’ and then spend dining time prodding food around a plate...If you know you have a limited palate preference then don’t worry about it just be willing to communicate. Explain you can struggle with what you eat and do exactly the same as those with specific dietary needs do....Look at the next day’s menu and see if it appeals....Ask the waiter to explain where the terminology is poor, if something seems to have a sauce you may not like arrange for it to be ‘on the side’...If nothing on the menu appeals at all then suggest an alternative (or listen to what they suggest as an alternative)...

 

If you simply go into Luminae in the evening without looking at the menu and then expect an immediate alternative (other than MDR) then you are making the wait staff and chef’s job harder...They aim to run at peak time with set menus...If you have already informed them of an issue with that day’s offering they are already set to meet your request...

 

Hope this makes sense...Being a ‘faddy eater’ or a ‘picker’ may not be a medical issue or dangerous in the way a food allergy can be but it can spoil a cruise experience if you are not ‘upfront’...

 

Remember Luminae isn’t the only dining venue on board...We ask for the Luminae menus for the cruise on boarding then book the speciality venues on nights when neither of us particularly fancies the Luminae offerings...Add in a night of dining on the balcony and another of an Oceanview crash out and life becomes easier...

 

Edited by chemmo
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Alsmez Great Review Rare

Alsmez

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, chemmo said:

pictures or descriptions of what the meals actually are would be useful

 

While I don't know of a site that has photos of all of Luminae's dishes, I included many in my recent in-depth review of Luminae. 

 

 

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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
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16 minutes ago, Alsmez said:

 

While I don't know of a site that has photos of all of Luminae's dishes, I included many in my recent in-depth review of Luminae. 

 

 

 

Alsmez, it is thanks to contributors like you that so many guests do board with some knowledge of what to expect...

 

Unfortunately there are many guests who do not follow CC and find the Luminae menu a bit confusing. If you are not an experimental eater a less than clear menu tends to make you err on the conservative side...

 

To return to the OP...I honestly think that many of the Luminae dishes with a less cryptic description may be OK for a ‘fussy eater’ but even if they aren’t if they chat honestly with their waiter they can avoid repetitive options...

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Alsmez Great Review Rare

Alsmez

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18 minutes ago, chemmo said:

find the Luminae menu a bit confusing. If you are not an experimental eater a less than clear menu tends to make you err on the conservative side

 

I agree. The cryptic "list of ingredients" descriptions employed by so many high-end restaurants these days definitely make it difficult to know what you are getting or in what quantity. In Luminae, I would frequently see a vegetable I wanted listed as part of a dish only to find that said vegetable was nothing more than a garnish or an ingredient in a puree. I am quite an adventurous eater so this doesn't really bother me, but there are times when I think to myself "well, if I had know that the preparation was going to be like THAT I might have chosen something else." I frequently take a discreet peek around the dining room to see what is on other diners' plates just to get a better idea of how various dishes will be executed, too! 🙂

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Justalone

Justalone

Posted
Posted (edited)
5 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

Yes, I know, and your response was pretty funny. The original question, not so much.

 

Well, it’s more like poached chicken.  How it is prepared in Asian countries.  Not fried, sautéed, or baked chicken.

Edited by Justalone
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