Suite guests in Blu - enough!

[Gordoncruickshank]

26 minutes ago, calicakes said:

This is what I'm worried about re: our first suite cruise in December.  My wife is very picky.  There were more than a few nights we were in Blu that she asked for a steak or chicken breast from the MDR.  I can't imagine her liking very much in Luminae.  I'm not a "foodie" that will eat absolutely anything either.  I don't eat beef,  raw tomatoes, salmon, blue cheese, etc.  I always end up modifying something that I order.  I hope they don't consider us the "problem children". 

My wife is very picky as well but she always manages by taking things out of the dish. She even managed to get them to make her a cheese sandwich at lunchtime. As the dishes are cooked for you, they can change them. The Mdr menu makes a difference in the s class ships but I don’t know how she will cope on the Edge.

[chemmo]

30 minutes ago, calicakes said:

This is what I'm worried about re: our first suite cruise in December.  My wife is very picky.  There were more than a few nights we were in Blu that she asked for a steak or chicken breast from the MDR.  I can't imagine her liking very much in Luminae.  I'm not a "foodie" that will eat absolutely anything either.  I don't eat beef,  raw tomatoes, salmon, blue cheese, etc.  I always end up modifying something that I order.  I hope they don't consider us the "problem children". 

 

What doesn’t help in Luminae is the wording on the menu...It is ‘playful’ in its descriptions and can also imply that veggies are a significant part of the dish when on presentation they are a ‘garnish’...Also there are a few fancy sounding dishes that are actually simple or where you could ask for the sauce ‘on the side’....

 

On our first few visits we were sometimes surprised at what we received and then resorted before ordering to getting the waiter to explain exactly what to expect on the plate...Agree with what others have said that Luminae will arrange a side salad, extra veggies or an alternative option it is just hard to know if you need these when you don’t know what to expect on ordering...

 

Strongly suggest you look at some of the many Luminae pictures that have been posted. Also you can ask to see the Luminae dinner menu at the end of breakfast. You can then ask  for clarification of the items and then arrange alternatives/extra sides if you need them. Don’t be worried as introducing your wife as quite ‘picky’...They would much rather be aware and have the opportunity to plan and then please her than see her unhappily push food around a plate...

 

We have no issues with service levels in Luminae or their desire to please but for guests who haven’t visited before it can confusing. Even with knowledge of the menu there are some nights where we can struggle with choices...The M’D will, on request, give you copies of the Luminae menus for you full cruise. You can then try to identify nights where you will be happy/not happy with the choices and then maybe arrange a couple of speciality restaurant visits to suit.

 

 

 

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

Actually there are 14 Luminae menus so they will only repeat if the cruise is longer than 14 days. They do repeat on 7 day b2b cruises.

 

They also now have 6 lunch menus which is a big improvement on the 3 initial ones they had and also enough not to repeat on the days that Luminae is open for lunch - sea days.

Yes, thanks so much for reminding me. But even with the increased menus, not all the dishes are liked as I mentioned before. It would be also be nice if they were changed more often. 

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, calicakes said:

This is what I'm worried about re: our first suite cruise in December.  My wife is very picky.  There were more than a few nights we were in Blu that she asked for a steak or chicken breast from the MDR.  I can't imagine her liking very much in Luminae.  I'm not a "foodie" that will eat absolutely anything either.  I don't eat beef,  raw tomatoes, salmon, blue cheese, etc.  I always end up modifying something that I order.  I hope they don't consider us the "problem children". 

Don't worry, there are many guests including my Dh and I who have things we won’t or can not eat. The waiters have always been considerate and very helpful. All you have to do is talk to them. 😊

In case you weren’t aware, there is a separate menu in Luminae with “everyday items” off the MDR menu which are prepared in the Luminae galley, so there are a few alternatives. We've found that just talking things over with our waiter achieves the best results.

 

[calicakes]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Even with knowledge of the menu there are some nights where we can struggle with choices...The M’D will, on request, give you copies of the Luminae menus for you full cruise. You can then try to identify nights where you will be happy/not happy with the choices and then maybe arrange a couple of speciality restaurant visits to suit.

That will be helpful.  Thanks.  Since its a Xmas cruise I'm sure there might be some special menus.  Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

On our Alaska cruise in 2015, we were in AQ so we ate in Blu every night.  My wife resorted to eating steak every single night because it was a very heavy seafood menu and nothing appealed to her.  The day after we arrived home, she had a gallbladder attack and ended up having to have it removed.  I feel that it was triggered because of all the meat she ate( and sitting in the USO in Seattle for 7 hours before our flight, eating junk).  Since that cruise, she probably only eats beef 1x a month, if that.  With that being said, she doesn't like most vegetarian dishes.  Her parents did her no favors growing up.  She wasn't exposed to a lot of different foods.   She did like the chicken breast from the everyday menu on our last cruise, however I can see that eating that 10 days in a row might get old.  We have so much OBC that we'll definitely eat in a specialty restaurant.   

[Gordoncruickshank]

10 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Yes, thanks so much for reminding me. But even with the increased menus, not all the dishes are liked as I mentioned before. It would be also be nice if they were changed more often. 

We have cruised in suites since Laminae opened, we had 6 AQ booked when suite class started in 2015. We changed them all to sky suites (and probably then to CS)  to be on Luminae, From the start they had 14 full different menu’s as most of these were on 14 night Eclipse cruises

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

What doesn’t help in Luminae is the wording on the menu...

 

We have no issues with service levels in Luminae or their desire to please but for guests who haven’t visited before it can confusing. Even with knowledge of the menu there are some nights where we can struggle with choices...The M’D will, on request, give you copies of the Luminae menus for you full cruise. You can then try to identify nights where you will be happy/not happy with the choices and then maybe arrange a couple of speciality restaurant visits to suit.

 

I agree about the descriptions on the menus.

 

All the menus for Luminae are available in the Retreat, so one can have their beverage of choice while casually perusing them after embarkation. 😉

[chemmo]

2 minutes ago, calicakes said:

That will be helpful.  Thanks.  Since its a Xmas cruise I'm sure there might be some special menus.  Please correct me if I'm wrong. 

 

On our Alaska cruise in 2015, we were in AQ so we ate in Blu every night.  My wife resorted to eating steak every single night because it was a very heavy seafood menu and nothing appealed to her.  The day after we arrived home, she had a gallbladder attack and ended up having to have it removed.  I feel that it was triggered because of all the meat she ate( and sitting in the USO in Seattle for 7 hours before our flight, eating junk).  Since that cruise, she probably only eats beef 1x a month, if that.  With that being said, she doesn't like most vegetarian dishes.  Her parents did her no favors growing up.  She wasn't exposed to a lot of different foods.   She did like the chicken breast from the everyday menu on our last cruise, however I can see that eating that 10 days in a row might get old.  We have so much OBC that we'll definitely eat in a specialty restaurant.   

 

 

We have never cruised Xmas so others will need to advise...However, there has been a recent post on up charges in the Speciality Restaurants on holiday cruises...

 

Chicken in Luminae is a good start as there is a chicken ‘something or other’ I think every night! There have been some great Luminae picture reviews so look together with the proviso that you could ask for the chicken dish on offer but arrange for some part of it to be taken away or something else added.

 

If she does look at the menus and fancies nothing in the mains then she could consider alternative options...For example you could ask for a larger starter as a main meal...

 

I have had a couple of meals in Luminae I have found disappointing...I ordered them with a degree of uncertainty. I nibbled what I wanted, didn’t want an alternative but did later get my husband to pick me up a slice of pizza to enjoy on the balcony!  I simply mention this as the more your wife worries about choosing from the menu the more she may stick to ‘safe’ options...If she orders something and then doesn’t like it the waiters will happily change for her or she could be like me and send you to the buffet later!

[Pushka]

7 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I stand corrected thank you pointing this out. However under no circumstances should a suites guest be able to make a reservation in Blu as reported earlier and seated ahead of waiting Aqua guests.

 

Also how in one sentence can Celebrity say Exclusively for AquaClass® guests and in another Suite guests welcome upon availability.?  This hardly makes AquaClass use of Blu "Exclusive". 

 

This appears to be an old flyer from 2016 and may not be the case now.

 

Here is a link from Celebrity's website today with the list of Suites Amenities and nothing about any access to Blu.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/staterooms/suite-class/celebrity-suite

I have seen it posted several times on the Celebrity website and the example I posted was a quick 1 minute search on google before it was time for sleep. And I did state that in no way should a reservation be able to be made by a suite guest override any Aqua guest in the queue. 

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Pushka

[mafig]

are the everyday menus available every evening or do you have to ask for them.?

[MEcruzr]

1 minute ago, mafig said:

are the everyday menus available every evening or do you have to ask for them.?

 

The everyday menu is the same "everyday"... it doesn't change. It's on the regular menu. It's a just a few simple things that many guests request like shrimp cocktail, salmon, etc. 

[Pushka]

So it seems like there are a couple of issues. In one ship in particular there is an abundance of Aqua suites so much so there will be crowding at certain times in Blue and this is compounded by people not finding good choices in Luminae. 
 

Have never cruised in a suite but will be doing so on Edge in July and I’d expected to be eating in Luminae and one specialty restaurant (Grill Restaurant) because as a previous Aqua guest I do understand the issue of crowding and wait time (ours was on Equinox) but on that cruise the Suite guests lined up with us. 
 

Maybe slightly off topic, what is it about Luminae menu that is putting people off? Too much pfaffing and not enough substance? I could do one salmon meal but that’s about it. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Pushka

[actuarian]

5 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

That is a bit like the Yacht Club on MSC.

Or like Grill Class on Cunard.

[Jim_Iain]

On 2/4/2020 at 6:50 PM, CruzeBoozer said:

We’ve sailed in AQ many times and have really enjoyed Blu on all the S class ships.  We have waited in line or with a buzzer many times even though we usually arrived around 8:30-9 no big deal.  We moved up to Suites and really enjoy Luminae so haven’t felt the need to go to Blu.  

 

On a recent Equinox cruise we stopped by to ask the Maitre D if we could dine in Blu at some point and he explained they were too full on that particular cruise again no big deal.  This does happen!

 

I really would like to meet these Suite guests that wall on water, are over pampered, catered to etc. because I think Suite guests as a whole get a bad rap for being demanding etc.  I have encountered many demanding guests on various cruises and I know for a fact they were not in Suites by their pass in the lanyard around their neck.  If Celebrity would better manage this dining room policy a lot of people would have to move on to another topic to gripe about. 

 

I would have to agree with you.   We mostly travel in suites and have virtually never seen a Luminae guest demanding and disparaging the wait staff. 

 

On the other hand last cruise in AQ their was a table of 3 -  Daughter, Mother and Grandmother that were beyond demanding.    The first night the Daughter (30ish) ordered 4 starters and 4 min courses then threw her fork on the plate and said they were all rubbish.   It was not a one night occurrence and was the same almost every evening.   When we heard from the Restaurant Manager that they had filed formal complaints it elicited us and about 6 other tables to write the Hotel Director a letter of compliment of the professional way he and how his staff had probably handled this disruptive guest.

[Jim_Iain]

37 minutes ago, Pushka said:

So it seems like there are a couple of issues. In one ship in particular there is an abundance of Aqua suites so much so there will be crowding at certain times in Blue and this is compounded by people not finding good choices in Luminae. 
 

Have never cruised in a suite but will be doing so on Edge in July and I’d expected to be eating in Luminae and one specialty restaurant (Grill Restaurant) because as a previous Aqua guest I do understand the issue of crowding and wait time (ours was on Equinox) but on that cruise the Suite guests lined up with us. 
 

Maybe slightly off topic, what is it about Luminae menu that is putting people off? Too much pfaffing and not enough substance? I could do one salmon meal but that’s about it. 

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Edge.   

 

Generally I don't think that many of Luminae guests are put off by the menu in Luminae.,   At least for us we get tired of the menu when on a B2B or B2B2B.    Regardless of whether you are in a  Suite or AQ the inability of order off of even the Main Dinging Room menu limits the choices and would be a reason that either Suite or Aq might choose a different venue of either Blu or MDR for a bit of variety.  

 

 

[Cruise a holic]

8 hours ago, TeeRick said:

No point is being missed by C-Dragons.  The premise of your argument is that suite guests are causing the overcrowding in Blu.  They might contribute a bit to it but they are not the main cause.  The restaurant is too small for the number of Aqua guests on ships like Reflection.  I would bet that on nights where no suite guests dined in Blu there would be still a wait for Aqua guests at peak times.  

Don’t agree with the math.  Many suite and AQ guests on any give day dine in sp restaurants. We, for example, take a sp dinner package and typically only have breakfast in luminae.  

[Covepointcruiser]

Luminae is not at all like the Queens Grill on Cunard!   The menus are more down to earth.   You can view the menu at breakfast and if you don’t see what you like you can order whatever you want.   I have never had a request denied.   The grill is open for all meals even in port and you can come whenever you want within the meal hours.  Your table and servers are always waiting for you.    There is no waiting for your table as it is assigned.   Princess Grill May be a little different in off-the-menu offerings.

[TeeRick]

23 hours ago, actuarian said:

Actually, it was the OP who suggested that suite guests are causing the overcrowding at Blu.  If that is not the case, then I am not sure what the point of this whole thread is. 

 

The Reflection is a special case; it has 20 more Aqua Class rooms (on deck 12) than the other S-Class ships even though Blu is the same size on the Reflection as on the other S-Class ships.  I do not think that Blu is as crowded on any other ship as it is on the Reflection.

Yes you are right about Reflection.  The point of the thread IMO was to stir up some animosity against suite guests dining in Blu instead of focusing on the real issues being: 1) the inadequate size of Blu and 2) the rules being ignored by the Blu maitre d' who should only allow suite guests in uncrowded times.  It is very easy on CC for some to blame suite guests for everything.  Instead of just realizing that they are not a demographic or a separate human species - but come from all walks of life just making a personal buying choice.    

Edited February 7, 2020 by TeeRick

[luckyinpa]

19 hours ago, calicakes said:

This is what I'm worried about re: our first suite cruise in December.  My wife is very picky.  There were more than a few nights we were in Blu that she asked for a steak or chicken breast from the MDR.  I can't imagine her liking very much in Luminae.  I'm not a "foodie" that will eat absolutely anything either.  I don't eat beef,  raw tomatoes, salmon, blue cheese, etc.  I always end up modifying something that I order.  I hope they don't consider us the "problem children". 

 

this is why i love people posting pics of the food. i saw the post about chefs table. would be a total waste for me. i dont drink wine and like the foo foo food. i think there was a filet and id like that but not for the price

[luckyinpa]

20 hours ago, calicakes said:

Unless of course you're the guest of someone who is in a Haven suite.  I took my first and last cruise on NCL June 2018.  My friends were in Haven, we were in the room right next door( Aft balcony).  They invited us to breakfast and a dinner in the Haven restaurant.  The difference between Haven v. peons is like night and day.  Their food was a lot better than the food we were served.  

 

rare that a concierge lets someone else in. you got lucky for sure.  actually over christmas i was not happy with the poor haven service that occurred after day 1 . they wouldnt admit it but i think they were down a cook or something. with the price we paid they should have had adequate staffing. at least 2 occasions even the tables around us complained. so we stopped going. quicker service in the regular restaurants and even speciaties.  i love the pics of the aft balcony and would love one some day. though i see why people love the courtyard as i stayed there on christmas. 

[luckyinpa]

20 hours ago, calicakes said:

Unless of course you're the guest of someone who is in a Haven suite.  I took my first and last cruise on NCL June 2018.  My friends were in Haven, we were in the room right next door( Aft balcony).  They invited us to breakfast and a dinner in the Haven restaurant.  The difference between Haven v. peons is like night and day.  Their food was a lot better than the food we were served.  

 

rare that a concierge lets someone else in. you got lucky for sure.  actually over christmas i was not happy with the poor haven service that occurred after day 1 . they wouldnt admit it but i think they were down a cook or something. with the price we paid they should have had adequate staffing. at least 2 occasions even the tables around us complained. so we stopped going. quicker service in the regular restaurants and even speciaties.  i love the pics of the aft balcony and would love one some day. though i see why people love the courtyard as i stayed there on christmas. 

[phoenix_dream]

51 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Yes you are right about Reflection.  The point of the thread IMO was to stir up some animosity against suite guests dining in Blu instead of focusing on the real issues being: 1) the inadequate size of Blu and 2) the rules being ignored by the Blu maitre d' who should only allow suite guests in uncrowded times.  It is very easy on CC for some to blame suite guests for everything.  Instead of just realizing that they are not a demographic or a separate human species - but come from all walks of life just making a personal buying choice.    

I started the thread. I take issue with your saying that the point of it is to basically complain about the suite guests.  I never stated that nor do I believe that. . My issue is with Celebrity not following the rules, and the fact that it is still allowed even though many Blu restaurants are very very crowded, especially on ships with more Aqua class cabins.  The procedure was started before there was Luminae, And should have ceased when Luminae was created.  I never stated nor do I fault the suite guests for doing what is currently allowed. 

[K12Guy]

On 2/5/2020 at 10:30 AM, calicakes said:

I eat small portions and I want that small portion to be amazing.

I always laugh when I see folks refer to food products as amazing. But, I'm not a foodie and truly eat to live and most times having to eat is a burden. I've never been amazed by the quality of any meal. I feel like I'm missing out on something!

[GRBlizz]

This thread has been illuminating to me. We last sailed X in 2014, and it was in AQ. Two of our family group of six were in a suite, and they dined with us in Blu every night. It was an overall delightful experience. Very uncrowded, and very personal service.

 

After a few years of family and health issues, my husband and I are coming back in April, and we again booked AQ. I trust we will have a wonderful experience. But if not, the four MDR restaurants on Apex sound well worth a try!

[Cruise a holic]

We first tried blu when it first was introduced on the silhouette.  Our nephew who wasn’t aq and his wife joined us daily.  Actually the food was horrible and Blu almost empty every evening   We never paid additional for them.  Food was very spicy.  The next time we tried blu not spicy or good imo