Luminae really crowded on Apex now?

[msteries]

Still hoping to sail on the 29th and wondering if I have to book specialty restaurants because social distancing in Luminae is unlikely.  Anyone onboad now who can report?  Thanks!

[RHudson1825]

1 hour ago, msteries said:

Still hoping to sail on the 29th and wondering if I have to book specialty restaurants because social distancing in Luminae is unlikely.  Anyone onboad now who can report?  Thanks!

The suites are pretty much full each cruise with move up bids, and those direct booking.  I was on edge early December and the suites were full. I didn't have any problem with distancing in the retreat sundeck, lounge or luminae.  Busiest was last breakfast and lobster night but neither was swamped. 

[CalTexCruiser]

When we were on Apex with about 1,000 passengers, I would say Luminae was about 1/2 full at around 6pm or so, and more crowded later.

 

Eden, Raw on 5, and Fine Cut were generally much emptier, especially earlier in the evening.

 

Le Petit Chef was packed because dinner starts at set times for everyone.

[mac_tlc]

5 hours ago, msteries said:

Still hoping to sail on the 29th and wondering if I have to book specialty restaurants because social distancing in Luminae is unlikely.  Anyone onboad now who can report?  Thanks!

We are also on the 1/29 sailing. I was checking the cruise planner today and it showed Fine Cut and Rooftop Grill as “sold out”, which I find difficult to imagine. 
 

We sailed the Edge in July and October in a SS and at 6pm, Lumimae was not too crowded although there were times when  all three of the 2 tops near the window were occupied. Not a lot of space between them. Breakfast seemed worse because they are only open for a couple hours and only on sea days. 
 

We are seriously considering going to the four MDRs which were almost empty. We did Cosmopolitan once and there was no one within three tables of us .

 

mac_tlc

[DaKahuna]

14 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

 Breakfast seemed worse because they are only open for a couple hours and only on sea days. 
 

Breakfast is available every day in Luminae.  Its only lunch that is not available when in port. 

[verizon]

First night is like a mad house.

They are now offering suite guests 30% off the first night to specialty restaurant.

There are more social distancing if you request to sit on the table for 4 against the wall.

Edited January 11, 2022 by verizon

[mac_tlc]

54 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Breakfast is available every day in Luminae.  Its only lunch that is not available when in port. 

You are correct, Couldnt get to the "edit" in time.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Breakfast is available every day in Luminae.  Its only lunch that is not available when in port. 

 

 

Skipped a beat there for a moment !!

 

Regarding the "closed" for lunch on port days - I've never cared for that. We'll often stay on the ship, and there are not many good lunch options as I recall (though it's been almost 4 years since we've sailed Celebrity). 

 

What (port day) lunch options can I expect to have on the Reflection next month?

 

Tom

[CraigCruiser]

I was just off the Apex. We were supposed to have around 2k and ended up with 1,200 with the retreat being full. We ate at 8pm in Luminae and asked for a corner away and had zero problems with crowds or the request. I guess it all depends on how booked you cruise is.

[jelayne]

On the Edge in October suites were fully booked.  We went to Luminae 5 nights always between 8-8:30 and had to wait for a table 3 of 5 nights. It was full so not much abi,it’s to social distance.  
 

We tried 2 of the 4 MDRs,  they had people spaced out so no one  was seated at a table next to others. 

[DaKahuna]

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Regarding the "closed" for lunch on port days - I've never cared for that. We'll often stay on the ship, and there are not many good lunch options as I recall (though it's been almost 4 years since we've sailed Celebrity). 

The thing that I really enjoyed on Edge was that the Retreat Sundeck served sandwiches for lunch in port. 

 

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

What (port day) lunch options can I expect to have on the Reflection next month?

On Reflection last month we had lunch in the Oceanview Cafe, Sushi on Five, and Mast Grill.   I believe the Spa Cafe is also open but we did not eat there while in port. 

[msteries]

Darn… sounds like things may be crowded.  I like the food in Luminae, too.  I seem to recall (seems like we have lived thru MORE than just two years of this mess…) that I enjoyed the Greek offerings in Cyprus.

CC system won’t let me react to your posts.  Thanks for responding everyone! 

[phoenix_dream]

On our late November cruise, around 1200 passengers and suites 90%+ full. Luminae was always pretty full. I know why they're booking all the suites- it seems they are prioritizing $$ over our safety.  Tuscan was very empty, and Eden pretty full as well.