Suite guests in Blu - enough!

[phoenix_dream]

3 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Everyone has opinions about food, some like it, some don't. Some may prefer Blu over Luminae but have never seen a post anywhere on any social media that said service in Luminae was lacking. 

I'm a part of several Facebook groups for various Celebrity ships, as well as general Celebrity Q&A and comments.  Today alone I read several postings on those Facebook pages where suite passengers stated they preferred Blu to Luminae.  Of course that is not true of everyone, but It is true of some.

[phoenix_dream]

7 hours ago, misterkevin said:

There is a great misconception here that Luminae food is sauce-heavy not as clean as compared to Blu. In fact, if you compare the two sets of 14 day menus from Luminae and Blu, you won't find any remarkable differences between the two in terms of which is "cleaner." They're both pretty fancy. The real difference in the two dining rooms is volume of diners, space between tables, server to diner ratios, willingness to cook off menu, and extra courses in Luminae, which always has an amuse bouche and will have an extra dessert course on elegant nights with a cart of mignardises. The food in Luminae is a bit higher quality and is more easily cooked to order than in other galleys around the ship because they're used to it. If you don't want a sauce, simply ask for none. My one nit with the Luminae menus and Celebrity ship menus in general is that they're not very veg-forward.

We have only eaten in Luminae on two cruises.  On each of those cruises we ordered off the MDR menu more than half the time.  We found the Luminae menus very heavy on seafood, and much lighter on offerings for red meats or poultry items which we often prefer (especially DH).  The seafood offered was also, we felt based on our particular tastes, more exotic than the standard halibut or salmon.   We also felt that the offerings were much more 'gourmet' in general than in Blu.  I don't recall them being sauce heavy necessarily but we often could not find a single thing on the menu we thought sounded appealing to us.  We did very much enjoy the better service, the better ambiance with less crowding, and the bread offerings which were much better than Blu.

[calicakes]

On 2/14/2020 at 12:31 PM, luckyinpa said:

f you have been in haven on the bigger NCL ships you know when you enter haven there is a long narrow hall that opens up to the concierge desk then lounge. this is usually where you meet for when the concierge takes you to shows and when you do priority disembark etc.  the crew door you take is right near the entrance to haven. thus. if you are in the lounge, you are farther from it than if you were waiting in the hall. but if you come late, the lounge is full and you pretty much are forced to wait in the hall. this means  you are 1st in line for priority disembark. some 'punk' was standing there in the lounge across from me and not happy that a large multigenerational family came in late and was basically gonna get in the elevator before him. he had the nerve to ***** to one of the staff. actually said these people got here after me and are going to get off before me. 

Since you brought up Haven, let me tell you my experience.  We sailed with friends who had a Haven suite in June 2018.  We were in the room right next to them.( NOT Haven, aft balcony). We were able to "tag" along with them for disembarkation( for excursions).  Whenever they used the concierge for priority whatever, we went with them.   We had two meals with them in the Haven restaurant.  We also went to the Haven lounge before a show.   The service/food they received vs. what we received was like night and day.  My wife said if we ever( and we won't) sail NCL again, its Haven or nothing.  

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, actuarian said:

"Should be" is just an opinion and everyone is welcome to his or her opinion.  The Welcome Aboard lunch in the MDR is for Concierge Class people and the Welcome Aboard lunch in Luminae is for Suite Class people.  I cannot think of any objective reason why B2B cruisers who are not in either of those classes should be invited to one but not the other, other than historical practice.  This circles back to the OP's point.  B2B cruisers who are not in suites are not invited to the Welcome Aboard lunch in Luminae because having them in Luminae would probably cause overcrowding at that venue.  This is exactly the reason why Suite Class cruisers should not be invited to Blu.

And the welcome back lunch is for consecutive cruisers in the MDR according to Celebrity. So what you think or what you consider is your opinion and doesn't mean anything! We are glad and appreciative of Celebrity for recognizing us consecutive cruisers and extends to us a welcome back lunch. Looking forward again to the lunch on March/April B2B cruise on the Summit.  😎 

Edited February 16, 2020 by davekathy

[Texed]

22 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I'm a part of several Facebook groups for various Celebrity ships, as well as general Celebrity Q&A and comments.  Today alone I read several postings on those Facebook pages where suite passengers stated they preferred Blu to Luminae.  Of course that is not true of everyone, but It is true of some.

 

Pardon my ignorance, I am not too smart sometime.  But, why would someone book a suite if they want to eat in Blu?   Why don't they book Aqua Class for, at least, half the price?  🤔

[Mark_T]

9 minutes ago, Texed said:

 

Pardon my ignorance, I am not too smart sometime.  But, why would someone book a suite if they want to eat in Blu?   Why don't they book Aqua Class for, at least, half the price?  🤔

Luminae is only one of the suite benefits, even if for some reason you would prefer to eat in Blu the other benefits may still represent value for some.

 

Not the least of those benefits would be cabin size of course, the Retreat, and priority debarking ...

 

 

[Pushka]

13 minutes ago, Texed said:

 

Pardon my ignorance, I am not too smart sometime.  But, why would someone book a suite if they want to eat in Blu?   Why don't they book Aqua Class for, at least, half the price?  🤔

Because Luminae is just part of the reason for booking a suite. I’ve booked for retreat access, larger cabin  and priority to tenders on a cruise that has 3 tender ports. Luminae is an extra. On Aqua last time and didn’t like Persian Relax area at all because of all the snoring happening. 

Edited February 16, 2020 by Pushka

[calicakes]

2 minutes ago, Pushka said:

Because Luminae is just part of the reason for booking a suite. I’ve booked for retreat access, larger cabin  and priority to tenders on a cruise that has 3 tender ports. Luminae is an extra. On Aqua last time and didn’t like Persian Relax area at all because of all the snoring happening. 

We booked a suite for our December cruise, because the price difference was only 1k IIRC after the 10 percent back from the TA.  We'll also get extra CC points.  We wanted to try a suite.  We booked a suite for a Sept 2021 cruise because we wanted to add a 3rd person to the cabin.  You can't have 3 ppl in an AQ cabin. 

[davekathy]

3 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

You seem to have missed the statement that B2B cruisers were invited to lunch in the MDR long before concierge class folks were.  So, if there's an overcrowding issue (which I've not observed there to be), it would be caused by the addition of the concierge class folks.

I agree. There's not that many concierge class and B2B cruisers to fill up the MDR for the embarkation lunch.  Even with the limited hours from 11:30 to 1:00. 

[bEwAbG]

You're paying a huge premium to eat in Luminae if you're sailing in a suite (especially a Sky Suite, many of which are not that big).

[Gracie115]

10 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I'm a part of several Facebook groups for various Celebrity ships, as well as general Celebrity Q&A and comments.  Today alone I read several postings on those Facebook pages where suite passengers stated they preferred Blu to Luminae.  Of course that is not true of everyone, but It is true of some.

 

 

I am also part of several FB groups and I too have seen posts about people who prefer Blu to Luminae, but I've not seen ones saying that Luminae's service was lacking which is what I was responding to...the issue is nearly always about the menu.

[chemmo]

51 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

I am also part of several FB groups and I too have seen posts about people who prefer Blu to Luminae, but I've not seen ones saying that Luminae's service was lacking which is what I was responding to...the issue is nearly always about the menu.

 

Agree...Whilst we mainly dine in the speciality restaurants (preferring their menus) we have never had an issue with the service in Luminae. 

[phoenix_dream]

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

I am also part of several FB groups and I too have seen posts about people who prefer Blu to Luminae, but I've not seen ones saying that Luminae's service was lacking which is what I was responding to...the issue is nearly always about the menu.

I agree -the posts were relating to the food, not the service.  I was replying to someone who said they have never seen anything on social media that suite guests prefer Blu

[TeeRick]

The way this thread is going, some would come to the conclusion that: 1) suite passengers often dine in Blu and, 2) suite passengers are not satisfied with Luminae.  While both of these statements can be true for any individual, they are generally not the case for the majority of suite passengers.  

[hcat]

It  takes only  a few extra tables/ diners during busy times  to increase numbers in BLU. The added AQ cabins and suite spillover make a diff in such a small venue that is understaffed to begin with.....Lines and beepers were not always in view!

Edited February 16, 2020 by hcat

[terrydtx]

30 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

The way this thread is going, some would come to the conclusion that: 1) suite passengers often dine in Blu and, 2) suite passengers are not satisfied with Luminae.  While both of these statements can be true for any individual, they are generally not the case for the majority of suite passengers.  

I would tend to agree with this, but the easy answer is to offer the Blu menu at night along with the Luminae one in Luminae venue for the few Suite passengers who want it.

[luckyinpa]

found an interesting review on another forum of someone just off the ship:

 

What we've loved about Blu on the Summit in the past was the quiet and intimacy. However, in our opinion, this is gone. There are more tables and it's now crowded and noisy. We went to dinner at 5:30 every night so that we could get a table by the windows for a little more quiet and the view. We never had to wait for a table. However, by 5:45, the restaurant was usually full and you have people seated at a table just inches from yours. The noise levels are high. The tables are so close together, it's hard to navigate to and from your table when all the tables are full of people. It's likely this way in the MDR as well, but why pay extra then? I do love Blu for breakfast when it's more quiet though. I didn't love the food quality for breakfast. It was just okay, but the serenity was worth going there.

[jimcruser]

Not sure about all the fuss. Was just on a Celebrity cruise in a Royal Suite. We ate at Luminae but could order from the Main Menu as well as from the Blu Menu. We were fine eating in Luminae, not taking up any space in Blu and having what we preferred from any menu. The biggest "problem" was having to wait for a table for 4 for dinner one night in Luminae as we went to an early show and when we showed up at about 8:15 PM there were a number of other gusts waiting. So we had a 15 minute wait. The maître de seemed relatively flustered but we were fine and all had a good time.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, luckyinpa said:

found an interesting review on another forum of someone just off the ship:

 

What we've loved about Blu on the Summit in the past was the quiet and intimacy. However, in our opinion, this is gone. There are more tables and it's now crowded and noisy. We went to dinner at 5:30 every night so that we could get a table by the windows for a little more quiet and the view. We never had to wait for a table. However, by 5:45, the restaurant was usually full and you have people seated at a table just inches from yours. The noise levels are high. The tables are so close together, it's hard to navigate to and from your table when all the tables are full of people. It's likely this way in the MDR as well, but why pay extra then? I do love Blu for breakfast when it's more quiet though. I didn't love the food quality for breakfast. It was just okay, but the serenity was worth going there.

Sounds about right.. we are taking a break from BLU, hoping that it improves.  No issue with the menu but too noisy and " close " 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

14 minutes ago, jimcruser said:

Not sure about all the fuss. Was just on a Celebrity cruise in a Royal Suite. We ate at Luminae but could order from the Main Menu as well as from the Blu Menu. We were fine eating in Luminae, not taking up any space in Blu and having what we preferred from any menu. The biggest "problem" was having to wait for a table for 4 for dinner one night in Luminae as we went to an early show and when we showed up at about 8:15 PM there were a number of other gusts waiting. So we had a 15 minute wait. The maître de seemed relatively flustered but we were fine and all had a good time.

 

Enjoying MDR or Blu menus in Luminae does not work on EDGE due to the locations of the galleys. We did find that if we wanted something different.....and asked the day before.....we could have items not on the Luminae menu. 

[phoenix_dream]

23 hours ago, TeeRick said:

The way this thread is going, some would come to the conclusion that: 1) suite passengers often dine in Blu and, 2) suite passengers are not satisfied with Luminae.  While both of these statements can be true for any individual, they are generally not the case for the majority of suite passengers.  

How do you know these statements to be true?  As a regular Blu guest (6-8 cruises per year in Blu since retirement a few years ago), I can tell you with 100% certainty that there are very often suite guests in Blu.  On some cruises they are there every night (I know this from being told by the waiters and by the maître d's as well as overhearing discussion - which is very easy to do since Blu is now usually extremely crowded with tables on top of each other).  Why they are there rather than Luminae I generally can't tell - although I have read a number of postings and reviews on these boards as well as social media stating they do not like the menu.  So unless the waiters and maître d's are lying to me, I can say that at least for the cruises I have been on point #1 is definitely true.

[phoenix_dream]

13 hours ago, jimcruser said:

Not sure about all the fuss. Was just on a Celebrity cruise in a Royal Suite. We ate at Luminae but could order from the Main Menu as well as from the Blu Menu. We were fine eating in Luminae, not taking up any space in Blu and having what we preferred from any menu. The biggest "problem" was having to wait for a table for 4 for dinner one night in Luminae as we went to an early show and when we showed up at about 8:15 PM there were a number of other gusts waiting. So we had a 15 minute wait. The maître de seemed relatively flustered but we were fine and all had a good time.

Let's be honest here - the experience of someone in a Royal Suite may not be the same as the experience of someone in just a Sky Suite, or in Aqua Class for sure.  I rarely can afford to sail suites, but when I recently did (sky suite) I could absolutely tell that there is even a class system within the suite level.  I was treated very well and have no complaints, but the higher level passengers were treated like royalty.  Please note - I am not saying this is not justified - Royal Suite guests are paying a very large premium for the privilege and I don't begrudge them getting special service.  I'm just pointing out that your experience may not be indicative of all suite guests.

[TeeRick]

4 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

How do you know these statements to be true?  As a regular Blu guest (6-8 cruises per year in Blu since retirement a few years ago), I can tell you with 100% certainty that there are very often suite guests in Blu.  On some cruises they are there every night (I know this from being told by the waiters and by the maître d's as well as overhearing discussion - which is very easy to do since Blu is now usually extremely crowded with tables on top of each other).  Why they are there rather than Luminae I generally can't tell - although I have read a number of postings and reviews on these boards as well as social media stating they do not like the menu.  So unless the waiters and maître d's are lying to me, I can say that at least for the cruises I have been on point #1 is definitely true.

I am not disagreeing with you.  I am just saying that the majority of suite guests, based on comments from these boards, still dine in Luminae (or Specialty restaurants for high level suites).  And the majority of suite guests are very positive about Luminae.  Why do you think this is incorrect?  I just have the opinion that there are not a very large number of suite guests that prefer Blu over Luminae.  Yes there are some of course.

[Ma Bell]

32 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Let's be honest here - the experience of someone in a Royal Suite may not be the same as the experience of someone in just a Sky Suite, or in Aqua Class for sure.  I rarely can afford to sail suites, but when I recently did (sky suite) I could absolutely tell that there is even a class system within the suite level.  I was treated very well and have no complaints, but the higher level passengers were treated like royalty.  Please note - I am not saying this is not justified - Royal Suite guests are paying a very large premium for the privilege and I don't begrudge them getting special service.  I'm just pointing out that your experience may not be indicative of all suite guests.

How did you know who was in which suite?

[actuarian]

23 minutes ago, Ma Bell said:

How did you know who was in which suite?

The people occupying the larger suites are escorted onto the ship and to Michael's Club (or The Retreat) so people see who they are.  We Sky Suite peons can go to Michael's too but we have to find our own way.