Is Luminae over-rated or under-rated?

[mfs2k]

Do you recommend Luminae for lunch too ?

or should we stick to the Oceanview Buffet?

Edited March 12, 2022 by mfs2k

[HMR74]

54 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Do you recommend Luminae for lunch too ?

or should we stick to the Oceanview Buffet?

Luminae Burger

[mfs2k]

3 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

Luminae Burger

I imagine a mast grill burger is good too. 

[bEwAbG]

Luminae lunch is a sit down meal.  Buffet is graze and go.  Depends on what you want.  All the other opinions about Luminae vs elsewhere apply at lunch.  It will be less crazy in Luminae.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by bEwAbG

[HMR74]

8 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I imagine a mast grill burger is good too. 

It's ok, slightly better than MDR, measurably not as good as Luminae Burger

One problem is the cook them well done at mast grill and MDR-the mass production issues tied to health issue of pink meat.

 

Better chances of pink at Luminae.

 

I agree with the above post where its calmer in L.

 

But I just am not comfortable in the buffett due to the tumult, and people who spend time picking precisely what they want, eg, Paella, first one there takes the shrimp and mussells from the top.

 

"L" only open for lunch on embarcation and sea days.

 

We were talking about the midnight buffetts with frinds the other night-we laugh now cause its difficult to stay up till midnight even with PM naps.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by HMR74

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

Do you recommend Luminae for lunch too ?

or should we stick to the Oceanview Buffet?

We never eat in the buffets for any meal when in a suite. Just like we never eat in any buffet restaurants on land. Either Luminae on sea days, or room service or on shore for port days. You can be casual and wear shorts in Luminae for lunch and be treated with Luminae exceptional service. The Luminae burger at lunch is better than any burger on the ship and it will be cooked any way you want and served with truffle salted fries, yummmmmy too. Luminae usually has a lighter fish and chicken entree, my wife loves the crispy Branzino fish for lunch. On embarkation day Luminae is open for lunch and the special is the Lobster roll and it is quite tasty too.

 

Our 12 night Reflection cruise in August only has 2 sea days so I suspect our lunches will be on shore excursions the other days. We have several private small tours that include lunches or small plates tastings. Europe cruises tend to be more port intensive with less sea days for Luminae lunches, or time to even consider lunch on the ship.

Edited March 13, 2022 by terrydtx

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, mfs2k said:

Do you recommend Luminae for lunch too ?

or should we stick to the Oceanview Buffet?

Luminae isn't open for lunch on port days (unless that's changed because no/fewer crew get off at the ports). So you can do both.

 

Note that Luminae has limited hours at lunch, much like at breakfast, so your choice might depend on how hungry you are during L's lunch hours (or 1.5 hour, if memory serves).

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

Luminae isn't open for lunch on port days (unless that's changed because no/fewer crew get off at the ports). So you can do both.

 

Note that Luminae has limited hours at lunch, much like at breakfast, so your choice might depend on how hungry you are during L's lunch hours (or 1.5 hour, if memory serves).

My Celebrity app for our Reflection cruise in August shows lunch on sea days noon to 1:30 except on Embarkation day which shows 11:30 to 2:00pm. The MDR is also only open on Sea days from noon to 1:30 like Luminae but not open on embarkation day.

[lv2cruisgrl]

25 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

My Celebrity app for our Reflection cruise in August shows lunch on sea days noon to 1:30 except on Embarkation day which shows 11:30 to 2:00pm. The MDR is also only open on Sea days from noon to 1:30 like Luminae but not open on embarkation day.

This week on Edge Luminae wasn't open in port days.

Edited March 13, 2022 by lovrccl

[Oville]

13 minutes ago, lovrccl said:

This week on Edge Luminae wasn't open in port days.

Don’t think it ever has been with the exception of embankment day, nothing new.

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

My Celebrity app for our Reflection cruise in August shows lunch on sea days noon to 1:30 except on Embarkation day which shows 11:30 to 2:00pm. The MDR is also only open on Sea days from noon to 1:30 like Luminae but not open on embarkation day.

The PP was comparing L to the OVC, which has longer hours than L or the MDR for breakfast and lunch.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, lovrccl said:

This week on Edge Luminae wasn't open in port days.

This is pretty much fleetwide, Luminae and the MDR are only open on sea days during any cruise. It is a shame for people in suites who tend more to not get off the ship in every port and left to the Buffett's, room service or mast grills for lunch. On the Edge class ships I believe the Retreat Sun deck snack bar is also closed on port days.

[Oville]

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

This is pretty much fleetwide, Luminae and the MDR are only open on sea days during any cruise. It is a shame for people in suites who tend more to not get off the ship in every port and left to the Buffett's, room service or mast grills for lunch. On the Edge class ships I believe the Retreat Sun deck snack bar is also closed on port days.

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Edited March 13, 2022 by Oville

[Oville]

12 minutes ago, Oville said:

 

Sorry, I messed up my response to you Terry.

Why do you assume people in suites don’t get off the ship, I’m guessing you are not correct? The Retreat Sun Deck snack bar is indeed open on port days on the Edge Class ships.

Edited March 13, 2022 by Oville

[chemmo]

We enjoy all lunchtime options during a cruise….

 

Luminae is our go to lunchtime venue on boarding. After leaving your hotel and boarding it is really nice to sit down, relax and enjoy being waited on. We tend to skip breakfast on boarding day or just have something very light to ensure we have some appetite. I do love the burger but leave most of the bread.

 

On days when we have had a substantial breakfast we love the options at the suite deck. Light but tasty.

 

On days when we have either just had croissants and coffee for breakfast we often enjoy grazing for lunch in Oceanview. We enjoy this most on port days when we have decided to stay on board, nice and quiet. Sometimes we will enjoy the Indian selection or a mixed salad with a slice or two of the roast of the day or we will get a made to order sandwich to take back to our balcony. Worth looking out for special days. Fish and chips day and pie day have both provided some really nice food.

 

Room service is really enjoyable on sea days, nice to make the most of the balcony. Whilst we know we can order from the MDR menu we are often happy with just the standard menu. The chicken noodle soup and chicken sandwiches with really nice fries!

 

It simply wouldn’t be a cruise without at least one visit to the mast grill. I do like their burgers too and an occasional hot dog.

 

Just nice to have so many lunchtime choices! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by chemmo

[terrydtx]

19 minutes ago, Oville said:

Sorry, I messed up my response to you Terry.

Why do you assume people in suites don’t get off the ship, I’m guessing you are not correct? The Retreat Sun Deck snack bar is indeed open on port days on the Edge Class ships.

I am using from my personal observations, on the Equinox last August we saw many fellow suites passengers on the ship in some of our port days and in the general discussions this was brought up. We have been to the Caribbean so many times we seldom get off at many ports now. My sister and BIL were on two Edge cruises in the last year in Edge Villas and were not happy that the Retreat sun deck snack bar was closed on every port day. They also seldom get off the ship in ports they have been to many times. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by terrydtx

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, HMR74 said:

It's ok, slightly better than MDR, measurably not as good as Luminae Burger

One problem is the cook them well done at mast grill and MDR-the mass production issues tied to health issue of pink meat.

 

Better chances of pink at Luminae.

 

I agree with the above post where its calmer in L.

 

But I just am not comfortable in the buffett due to the tumult, and people who spend time picking precisely what they want, eg, Paella, first one there takes the shrimp and mussells from the top.

 

"L" only open for lunch on embarcation and sea days.

 

We were talking about the midnight buffetts with frinds the other night-we laugh now cause its difficult to stay up till midnight even with PM naps.

 

 

Do we know if we can ask for medium rare?  Ignore the terrible pun, it's rare that a non-medium-rare burger can be good but Five Guys finds a way.  I like most of Celebrity's food offerings but unfortunately, that doesn't include the Mast Grill or their desserts.  It's too bad they don't elevate the Mast Grill burger patties, they're dense calorie bombs therefore very filling, therefore folks will most likely eat less later in the MDR or specialty restaurant.  Anyone is welcome to hate on Carnival but many claim they have the best burgers at sea and some claim its one the best burgers they're ever had including on land.  They use a good quality seasoned patty, cheddar and toasted buns with butter and garlic on them.

[HMR74]

15 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Do we know if we can ask for medium rare?  Ignore the terrible pun, it's rare that a non-medium-rare burger can be good but Five Guys finds a way.  I like most of Celebrity's food offerings but unfortunately, that doesn't include the Mast Grill or their desserts.  It's too bad they don't elevate the Mast Grill burger patties, they're dense calorie bombs therefore very filling, therefore folks will most likely eat less later in the MDR or specialty restaurant.  Anyone is welcome to hate on Carnival but many claim they have the best burgers at sea and some claim its one the best burgers they're ever had including on land.  They use a good quality seasoned patty, cheddar and toasted buns with butter and garlic on them.

It is pretty difficult to cook a thin burger anything but well done, expecially when they put them in a pan after cooking to then put on bun and plate.

 

Thats the mast  grill, however, MDR burgers, lunch ones at least,  are disappointing. The type of bun is also important.

 

I also think the type of beef is different at Mast/ MDR than L. Less fat content at L, I think, possibley chuck or a better cut of beef. When I grill at home, I like the burger crusty well done on the outside but still pink inside.

 

Ever have a burger made up of brisket?

 

Its late night but we had Wisconsin Brats tonight-a cup of soup (homemade mushroom) fries and Brats and I am a happy camper (except for the part I am working on taxes).

A rec on Hot dogs, Sams Club Pvt Branded beef hot dogs-score them and grill them--on a good bun with add ons. Delish.

Edited March 13, 2022 by HMR74

[mfs2k]

I can see having lunch at Luminae when it’s not pool weather. 
We’re going to be on 9 night repositioning Beyond in late October with 6 days at sea. Once the ship gets to Bermuda then heads south towards Aruba and Curaçao I imagine we’ll be outside on a deck chair near a pool in bathing suite every afternoon so I’m not sure we’ll be getting dressed to go to a sit down lunch in Luminae on those sea days. 
I’ll try to plan Luminae on embarkation day and the next day when it will be cooler out. And yes. I’ll order the burger. Are the fries just as good ?

[chemmo]

18 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I can see having lunch at Luminae when it’s not pool weather. 
We’re going to be on 9 night repositioning Beyond in late October with 6 days at sea. Once the ship gets to Bermuda then heads south towards Aruba and Curaçao I imagine we’ll be outside on a deck chair near a pool in bathing suite every afternoon so I’m not sure we’ll be getting dressed to go to a sit down lunch in Luminae on those sea days. 
I’ll try to plan Luminae on embarkation day and the next day when it will be cooler out. And yes. I’ll order the burger. Are the fries just as good ?

The fries are nice…Remember you can also use room service, they have nice fries too!

[morpheusofthesea]

10 hours ago, terrydtx said:

It is a shame for people in suites who tend more to not get off the ship in every port and left to the Buffett's, room service or mast grills for lunch.

We are 'those' people. However, on the Edge Le Bistro was open for lunch on port days and on Equinox it was Sushi on 5 open.

[rM3panno]

On 3/4/2022 at 10:06 AM, kwokpot said:

The best advice about dining in Luminae is to ask questions and talk to your server or Luminae host about your dining concerns. They can then inform you of what is and isn't available to serve you  If you don't ask questions,then the car servers will the is no you're just fine with the selections in Luminae and they won't make any suggestions of alternative choices. I have made many posts about this very topic. 

 

As an aside anyone that will be sailing on the Reflection shortly and dining in Luminae MUST request to be in Alfred's section. We are on our last day on the Reflection and I can honestly say of the 92 cruises we have taken Alfred stands to be among the top cruiseship employee we have ever encountered. He is engaging, informative, alert, and everything one can wish and hope for in a cruiseship employee without being overbearing. Our experience in Luminae on the Reflection has be vastly superior to our experience on the Apex.

We had Alfred on our Thanksgiving 2021 Reflection sailing and truly hope he will be there for our April 18 TA. He was wonderful with our kids and everything he did was spot on.

 

As far as food in Luminae goes we have had a varied experience from ship to ship and meal to meal but as a main service venue I think it is hands down the best.

 

Some great items:

lobster roll

burger

most fish dishes 

almost every starter is great if you just don’t read the description.

eggs Benedict 

bread basket 

some misses:

biscuits and gravy (🤮I’ve tried twice but it’s dark dinner gravy with what I think may be a wine reduction…not good for breakfast)

many pasta dishes (not sure why they can’t execute, only exception was kids spaghetti bolognese)

Daniel Bolud’s Moroccan chicken tajine

 

one exceptional item that is hit or miss on availability is the cherry cheese danish at breakfast. We first had it on Luminae on Silhouette in 2016  and hadn’t had it again until  Reflection this past November. 
 

Overall, we love Luminae and the staff. This past trip we had several tables express their displeasure at us dining there with a 6 and 3 year old. Mind you this started on our first entry into Luminae. Our sons are very well behaved and caused no disturbances but it was off putting to say the least. We are usually in a Signature Suite or Royal Suite so we take full advantage of the specialty dining which the Reflection has in spades.

 

As far as food goes though my motto is to each their own. It is too subjective but there is one guarantee, you will be able to find something in one of the many venues that you will like.

 

 

[morpheusofthesea]

10 hours ago, terrydtx said:

My sister and BIL were on two Edge cruises in the last year in Edge Villas and were not happy that the Retreat sun deck snack bar was closed on every port day

Must have changed since last year. We were on Sept and Oct 2021 in Retreat and the Retreat waiters had a menu. Had to eat bending over at low drink tables or in ones lap. 

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, morpheusofthesea said:

We are 'those' people. However, on the Edge Le Bistro was open for lunch on port days and on Equinox it was Sushi on 5 open.

Last year on the Equinox on port days Sushi on 5 didn't open until 3pm, but I see in the Celebrity app for our Reflection cruise in August it is open every day from Noon to 2pm, which is good. Last year it might have been because of the reduced capacity.

Edited March 13, 2022 by terrydtx

[morpheusofthesea]

8 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I see in the Celebrity app for our Reflection cruise in August it is open every day from Noon to 2pm, which is good.

We just do not remember if there was a charge or not for suite guests ?  The one time we had lunch on the Equinox in port at Sushi on 5 we were in RS so included with cabin. Remember we were not presented with bill so we tipped $10 cash. 

 The other time we ordered from our butler room service on the veranda while in port. Good for 15 minutes before the port flies join the picnic. Keep the balcony door closed.

Edited March 13, 2022 by morpheusofthesea