Luminae Questions

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I enjoyed my first experience in Luminae on the Apex, but sadly none of those extra efforts were done on my cruise. Literally none. 

Did you ask for any of the extras?

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Did you ask for any of the extras?

If you followed my numerous posts yes, I asked for things and they didn't follow through. I asked for a grilled Ribeye steak as offered in the menu and they said they don't make it that way, it's served as slices of roast, like Prime rib. Then they never offered an alternative. I was told by the Maitre D' I should make note of it in my cruise survey. Never offered a proper grilled ribeye steak any other night. I asked for a starter and an entree to be plated together, instead they brought out both fully plated separately. I too ordered Greek yogurt and berries every morning for breakfast, but they didn't magically appear without asking. I usually also order oatmeal and ask for honey for a sweetner. Many mornings they I had to remind them to bring the honey, it never just appeared on our breakfast table, despite ordering it every morning. So I enjoyed the food and service but it definitely wasn't special and it never anticipated our needs nor were there any wonderful surprises. 

Oh and if you are thinking it's our attitude, that's definitely not the case. We made friends with the Luminae hosts and would spend time before sitting down talking with them. We ate one dinner at one of the main dining rooms and the Luminae Maitre D' came over to our table in the MDR and said hello and wished us a nice meal. But he didn't do anything special nor offered to accomodate us at Luminae with any special orders that we enjoyed from the MDR. So everyone was nice and pleasant but none of the staff at Luminae went out of their way to do something special.

Edit:

The only thing I remember is one evening after dinner we ordered coffee and it was terrible, weak, and lukewarm. We complained that the coffee wasn't up to standards. So they removed it and brought us an Americano but it wasn't charged (We didn't have a drink package). But that was a one night thing and they never offered that again. 

[DaKahuna]

2 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

If you followed my numerous posts yes, I asked for things and they didn't follow through. I asked for a grilled Ribeye steak as offered in the menu and they said they don't make it that way, it's served as slices of roast, like Prime rib. Then they never offered an alternative. I was told by the Maitre D' I should make note of it in my cruise survey. Never offered a proper grilled ribeye steak any other night. I asked for a starter and an entree to be plated together, instead they brought out both fully plated separately. I too ordered Greek yogurt and berries every morning for breakfast, but they didn't magically appear without asking. I usually also order oatmeal and ask for honey for a sweetner. Many mornings they I had to remind them to bring the honey, it never just appeared on our breakfast table, despite ordering it every morning. So I enjoyed the food and service but it definitely wasn't special and it never anticipated our needs nor were there any wonderful surprises. 

Oh and if you are thinking it's our attitude, that's definitely not the case. We made friends with the Luminae hosts and would spend time before sitting down talking with them. We ate one dinner at one of the main dining rooms and the Luminae Maitre D' came over to our table in the MDR and said hello and wished us a nice meal. But he didn't do anything special nor offered to accommodate us at Luminae with any special orders that we enjoyed from the MDR. So everyone was nice and pleasant but none of the staff at Luminae went out of their way to do something special.

Edit:

The only thing I remember is one evening after dinner we ordered coffee and it was terrible, weak, and lukewarm. We complained that the coffee wasn't up to standards. So they removed it and brought us an Americano but it wasn't charged (We didn't have a drink package). But that was a one night thing and they never offered that again. 

Wow.  I am thankful that we have never encountered this.  

For example, I went to Cafe al Bacio one morning on our way to breakfast in Luminae and picked up two of the almond croissants and took them with us to breakfast.   I put them on our plate and when our waitress saw those she asked if we liked them and we told her we loved them.  She said she would have them for us and every morning for the remainder of the cruise she would bring us a plate of those croissants.  

 

I have, like others have posted, even ordered the filet from the Children's menu when there was no mail course that appealed to me.  It's a proper steak and cooked as a steak should be. 

 

I am willing to be that if there was a way of measuring everyone's experiences we would find a lot of uniqueness in the type and level of service we have all received and while a majority are definitely over the top, I believe we would also find other experiences similar to yours but my belief is that those would be few and far between. 

 

I sincerely hope your next cruise dining experience in Luminae is world above what you described here. 

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

Wow.  I am thankful that we have never encountered this.  

For example, I went to Cafe al Bacio one morning on our way to breakfast in Luminae and picked up two of the almond croissants and took them with us to breakfast.   I put them on our plate and when our waitress saw those she asked if we liked them and we told her we loved them.  She said she would have them for us and every morning for the remainder of the cruise she would bring us a plate of those croissants.  

 

I have, like others have posted, even ordered the filet from the Children's menu when there was no mail course that appealed to me.  It's a proper steak and cooked as a steak should be. 

 

I am willing to be that if there was a way of measuring everyone's experiences we would find a lot of uniqueness in the type and level of service we have all received and while a majority are definitely over the top, I believe we would also find other experiences similar to yours but my belief is that those would be few and far between. 

 

I sincerely hope your next cruise dining experience in Luminae is world above what you described here. 

We'll be on the Reflection in two weeks in Retreat Class, so we'll see how it goes. Now I know about all these special requests, we'll see if it occurs. We had better service in the Retreat Lounge, where they did remember our drink orders, but again nothing magically appeared. 

[morpheusofthesea]

55 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Did you ask for any of the extras?

Reading all the posts on CC and FB we have discovered all the perks/amenities others have been receiving for the category they have booked. We even took screen shots just in case (  and printed out hard copies on recycled paper). Our host/ butler had to take out a note pad to jot down all our requests. On one particular request he had to get his supervisors permission, which was not forthcoming until I produced a copy from some VIP that posted they got, just one month prior on a sister ship. They researched the article and confirmed the story. We got an apology and the perk.  Thanks to all of you...

P.S. We discovered that there are 'some' that are more VIP than others.

Edited February 9, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[DaKahuna]

4 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

We'll be on the Reflection in two weeks in Retreat Class, so we'll see how it goes. Now I know about all these special requests, we'll see if it occurs. We had better service in the Retreat Lounge, where they did remember our drink orders, but again nothing magically appeared. 

If Cranston is still the bartender in the Michael's Club rest assured he will remember and ask you if you want your 'usual' when you arrive.  It has been my experience that if you order the same thing a  couple of times he will start making it when he sees you.   I had to stop him once or twice when i wanted something different.  After that he always asked which of my two usual drinks I wanted while making the Tanqueray Ten and cranberry for my wife.  

 

 

[kwokpot]

38 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Reading all the posts on CC and FB we have discovered all the perks/amenities others have been receiving for the category they have booked. We even took screen shots just in case (  and printed out hard copies on recycled paper). Our host/ butler had to take out a note pad to jot down all our requests. On one particular request he had to get his supervisors permission, which was not forthcoming until I produced a copy from some VIP that posted they got, just one month prior on a sister ship. They researched the article and confirmed the story. We got an apology and the perk.  Thanks to all of you...

P.S. We discovered that there are 'some' that are more VIP than others.

I think that is the key. We're easygoing people and to be honest I really don't ask for anything on any of the cruises many because we're not fussy. As it has been noted it seems Celebrity attracts cruisers that cruise in suites exclusively more than say Royal or Carnival. Our Apex cruise was our first time ever (It was our 91st cruise) in a Suite. So our needs are few. Normally we ask for more hangers, some more body lotion and literally that's all we ask our room attendant for. We never asked our butler for anything because we didn't need anything. I think that's why I was more bothered by some of the glitches that did occur, like our laundry taking 3 full days to come back on the two separate occasions we sent it out. I asked the butler and he says if he doesn't get the laundry before 9am then it's treated as if you handed it in the following day. So if we gave in our laundry on a Thursday at 10 am we didn't get it back until Sunday afternoon. Same thing in Luminae. We really had no requests, except for a real ribeye steak and two dishes plated as one. So the two things we did asked for weren't accomplished.  So that's the experience we had.  

[markeb]

53 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

We'll be on the Reflection in two weeks in Retreat Class, so we'll see how it goes. Now I know about all these special requests, we'll see if it occurs. We had better service in the Retreat Lounge, where they did remember our drink orders, but again nothing magically appeared. 

 

We've only been in a suite (Sky Suite) once so far, on Equinox. I distinctly remember a Scotch whisky that wasn't on the menu appearing, and being there for the rest of the cruise. Just from sitting at the bar and asking what he had for Scotch. Your experience seems very unusual to me, and quite different from mine. But that was 2018. We'll see in July on the Equinox.

[josh1324342]

1 hour ago, morpheusofthesea said:

Reading all the posts on CC and FB we have discovered all the perks/amenities others have been receiving for the category they have booked. We even took screen shots just in case (  and printed out hard copies on recycled paper). Our host/ butler had to take out a note pad to jot down all our requests. On one particular request he had to get his supervisors permission, which was not forthcoming until I produced a copy from some VIP that posted they got, just one month prior on a sister ship. They researched the article and confirmed the story. We got an apology and the perk.  Thanks to all of you...

P.S. We discovered that there are 'some' that are more VIP than others.

Just curious as to what all you asked for and what was the thing that they had to get permission for?

[LGW59]

35 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

We've only been in a suite (Sky Suite) once so far, on Equinox. I distinctly remember a Scotch whisky that wasn't on the menu appearing, and being there for the rest of the cruise. Just from sitting at the bar and asking what he had for Scotch. Your experience seems very unusual to me, and quite different from mine. But that was 2018. We'll see in July on the Equinox.

Far diff from mine in 2019 as well

[morpheusofthesea]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

So our needs are few.

Most all US citizens (use to use the term 'Americans' but was corrected spending a college semester in latin America, that central and south are also Americans) are not accustomed or brought up in households with servants. So we 'manage' quite well in most settings. We need very little to be happy. I refer you to the story of the Caliph of Cordoba, Abd Al Rahman III. Absolute ruler who lived in complete luxury in 10th century Spain. Over 50 years of rule could only account for a handfull of days of happiness. So when we get on board a cruise ship in suite class and discover the little luxuries afforded us that only were reserved for the elite, for these brief moments we want them all, but don't really need any of them.

P.S. I appreciated that they plated my entrees separately. Too much on one plate and my clumsiness would have much of it off the plate. 

Edited February 10, 2022 by morpheusofthesea

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

We've only been in a suite (Sky Suite) once so far, on Equinox. I distinctly remember a Scotch whisky that wasn't on the menu appearing, and being there for the rest of the cruise. Just from sitting at the bar and asking what he had for Scotch. Your experience seems very unusual to me, and quite different from mine. But that was 2018. We'll see in July on the Equinox.

 

42 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Far diff from mine in 2019 as well

 

Another example of my experience on the Apex in December. We enjoyed having Aperitivo in the Retreat Lounge before dinner around 6:30-6:45. We would stay about 30 minutes and then head to Luminae or for two of the nine nights one of the main dining rooms (We had the Retreat Concierge make the dinner reservations). For those who know how the Retreat Lounge is setup on E-Class we sat down and the waiters came over and took our drink order. I then went over to the buffet area which at night is setup as a Charcuterie and some salty-crunchy snacks in glasses. Every night I would basically pick out more or less the same thing - Brie cheese, Parmesan, Manchego, olives, Prosciutto, and some crackers. The server behind the buffet would plate what I picked out and hand me the plate and a setup. This happened every night, and one night I was literally the only person in the Retreat Lounge. Now I thought nothing of this, and everything was perfectly fine. But now as I read other's experiences in Retreat Class should someone have proactively brought me a cheese plate when I sat down? Should someone have said when I approached the buffet,  "Mr. Wong have a seat and I'll bring you your cheese plate'? I wasn't expecting that kind of service, but now it seems like I should have. 

 

Edited February 10, 2022 by kwokpot

[DaKahuna]

Not necessarily.  Was it the same person behind the counter every night or did it change?  Did you ask if it would be possible to have the same dish every night?  
 

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

Not necessarily.  Was it the same person behind the counter every night or did it change?  Did you ask if it would be possible to have the same dish every night?  
 

Yes it was the same person behind the counter every night. And no I didn't ask to have the same dish every night. I wouldn't think to ask for that.

[morpheusofthesea]

12 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I wasn't expecting that kind of service, but now it seems like I should have.

We never expected any kind of service until reading these posts. So we made lists for the next cruise. Our documentation proved to be valuable, not just saying "so and so said". They actually contacted the people in the post (first names were posted and their positions), to confirm. We were told that the poster was VIP and the perk was no longer available. We do not wish to divulge the perk and start a brouhaha, as they extended us the courtesy this one time. Just saying that the timing was right and the documentation was crucial.

[DaKahuna]

9 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Yes it was the same person behind the counter every night. And no I didn't ask to have the same dish every night. I wouldn't think to ask for that.

Like you, I am not sure I would have expected it or wanted it done.  I tend to like the freedom of choice.  However, if it had been offered I may have well accepted and been appreciative. 

[markeb]

22 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Like you, I am not sure I would have expected it or wanted it done.  I tend to like the freedom of choice.  However, if it had been offered I may have well accepted and been appreciative. 

 

What I remember, and it's been awhile, was an offer to bring something if we wanted it. But this was all pre-COVID. My experience was that the staff in Michael's (now the Retreat Lounge) on Equinox simply did things without being asked. If you got up to go over to the snacks, and they were circulating, they'd ask if they could get something for you. At the bar, probably the first day when we sat there (I like sitting at the bar when I can over sitting away from the bar. On land and at sea.), I was just looking to see what they had, and when I mentioned Scotch, he either pulled something out or went and got something. I don't even remember what, but not it seems like a Glenmorangie or Glenfarclas or the like, and it was always there the rest of the cruise. Same thing with wine offerings for my wife. It's the kind of service they seem to instinctively provide.

[terrydtx]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Wow.  I am thankful that we have never encountered this.  

For example, I went to Cafe al Bacio one morning on our way to breakfast in Luminae and picked up two of the almond croissants and took them with us to breakfast.   I put them on our plate and when our waitress saw those she asked if we liked them and we told her we loved them.  She said she would have them for us and every morning for the remainder of the cruise she would bring us a plate of those croissants.  

 

I have, like others have posted, even ordered the filet from the Children's menu when there was no mail course that appealed to me.  It's a proper steak and cooked as a steak should be. 

 

I am willing to be that if there was a way of measuring everyone's experiences we would find a lot of uniqueness in the type and level of service we have all received and while a majority are definitely over the top, I believe we would also find other experiences similar to yours but my belief is that those would be few and far between. 

 

I sincerely hope your next cruise dining experience in Luminae is world above what you described here. 

Your Retreat and Luminae experience is pretty much what we have experienced and what sold us on only booking suites with Celebrity. 

[kwokpot]

33 minutes ago, markeb said:

What I remember, and it's been awhile, was an offer to bring something if we wanted it. But this was all pre-COVID. My experience was that the staff in Michael's (now the Retreat Lounge) on Equinox simply did things without being asked. If you got up to go over to the snacks, and they were circulating, they'd ask if they could get something for you.

I guess that's the difference of service and expectations. I'm sure I could have asked the server when they asked for our drink our to bring us a plate of assorted cheeses and stuff, but I assumed you went over and just got it yourself. And as I renumerated, I did this every night about the same time, and the servers are all the same people, and it was never busy, literally never more than 10 people at the Retreat Lounge and usually only two other couples besides us. But none of the servers ever specifically offered to bring me a cheese plate, I had to do it myself every night. 

Edited February 10, 2022 by kwokpot

[markeb]

17 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I guess that's the difference of service and expectations. I'm sure I could have asked the server when they asked for our drink our to bring us a plate of assorted cheeses and stuff, but I assumed you went over and just got it yourself. And as I renumerated, I did this every night about the same time, and the servers are all the same people, and it was never busy, literally never more than 10 people at the Retreat Lounge and usually only two other couples besides us. But none of the servers ever specifically offered to bring me a cheese plate, I had to do it myself every night. 

 

Counterintuitive, but I wonder if they would have offered if you hadn't been doing it yourself, or if things have just changed. There's probably some degree of not handling food that enters into that. 

 

HAL at least used to have a reputation of incredible service. The couple of times we cruised on HAL, the steward was in our room (multiple times a day) as soon as we walked down the corridor. Suites on X aren't quite like that, but there is a higher level of service in general. Lounge, Luminae, etc.

[WonderMan3]

People need to understand that everyone's experience is different. While the majority of staff in the Retreat-related areas of the ship are great sometimes you might get someone who's new (to the ship, to the venue), who's having a bad day, who's getting ready to start their months long time off and has checked out, or maybe a few who just aren't great at going that extra mile and miss cues given by customers. That doesn't mean people are exaggerating their great service experiences nor does it mean someone is making up stories or was being overbearing because they didn't experience staff going above and beyond or had a bad service experience. I mean my first time cruising with Celebrity was in a suite and we had a horrible butler; he was clearly new and was nervous and sweating all the time, forgetting things, getting into tense disagreements with other staff...if I had let his poor service reflect on the entire cruise line I would never have cruised Celebrity again. But we chalked it up to an individual service issue and moved on. I've also had a butler literally dump water on me on my balcony while cleaning a deck above me and not apologize in the slightest. I've had a belligerent sommelier arguing with me and my husband over the silliest thing once. But those incidents pale in comparison to all the many wonderful service encounters we've had with so many staff members onboard that totally made some of our vacations into unforgettable experiences.

[Cruising89143]

We have always been treated extremely well on X including the Retreat concierge and our butlers. They have gone out of their way to ensure that we have everything needed and no we’re not the type to ask for anything special. It’s one reason that we continue to cruise with them.  

[morpheusofthesea]

8 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We were told that the poster was VIP and the perk was no longer available.

I am quoting myself to reiterate this point. What perturbs most of us is to witness someone receiving service and not receiving the same service paying the same price. For example, we were cruising on Pacquet years ago when only the French on board were included complimentary wine for lunch and dinner. Same cruise we were a little late for lunch and the MDR was filled to capacity, so the maitre d' asked us to either go to the buffet or wait on the side for an opening. We waited on the side. A French couple approached the maitre d' and were seated immediately. Having been on the week prior, there were no French on board and the maitre d' was different. At the end of the cruise we were all assigned numbers to retrieve our passports in the theatre, guess who didn't need a number? 

[canderson]

3 hours ago, morpheusofthesea said:

I am quoting myself to reiterate this point. What perturbs most of us is to witness someone receiving service and not receiving the same service paying the same price.

It would seem that there is a major difference here.  What I'm seeing reported isn't that pax on the same ship paying the same price are receiving different levels of service.  Rather, it seems that the crew of some ships are providing a higher level of service than others.

[TeeRick]

9 minutes ago, canderson said:

It would seem that there is a major difference here.  What I'm seeing reported isn't that pax on the same ship paying the same price are receiving different levels of service.  Rather, it seems that the crew of some ships are providing a higher level of service than others.

Yes and that is very much a function of the people in charge of Luminae and management and training standards on any given ship.  But I have sailed most of them and generally in suites, and I have found the Luminae service to be highly consistent and overall excellent.   I honestly feel Luminae makes a difference between a very good cruise experience and an excellent cruise experience.