Help me understand dining on Eclipse please!

[kstetser]

We will be sailing on Eclipse in late July in a Celebrity Suite.  This will be our first cruise on Celebrity (25 on DCL).  We are foodies and are excited to try all that Celebrity has to offer.   I do not understand how you arrange to eat anywhere except Luminae.    I've read the website but it still seems very confusing.   It sounds like I can talk to the host in the suite lounge to book Murano and Tuscan Grill for dinner?  

 

Tell me about Blu?  I feel like the menu in Blu is going to be more appealing to us than Lumanie.  How hard is it to get into Blu?  I think we are permitted to eat there if spots are available.  Do I book that in advance or it is a go there and see sort of situation?

 

What about Sushi and Le Petite Chef?  Is that just dinner or can we have sushi for lunch also?  We enjoy sushi - I'm not sure about Le Petite Chef.  Can you tell me more about that experience?

 

Where do you recommend for breakfast/lunch?  We are not big buffet fans and one of us is a vegetarian.  I'm sure we will give the buffet a try, but prefer sit down meals.   Do you find sit-down breakfast to be slow?  That could be a factor on port days.

 

Any strategy, tips, pros/cons and process information would be really appreciated.  If this were Disney - I'd totally know what to do but I feel completely lost with a new cruise line.   We are really looking forward to this cruise and hope it's the beginning of a great relationship with Celebrity.

Edited May 12, 2022 by kstetser
typo

[1025cruise]

If you are in a suite, your assigned dining is Luminae. Blu is for those in Aqua class. You might be able to eat there if space is available, but you would need to check with the Luminae host. 

 

As Murano and Tuscan Grill are specialty restaurants, you should be able to make a reservation and pay the fee to eat there.

 

For breakfast, you can eat in Luminae. 

[mom says]

The Shoreside Concierge should contact you several weeks before you embark and can answer any dining questions you have. The Retreat host can make your dining reservations for you. BLU will be on a space available basis only, so ask the Luminae Maitre d' if it can be arranged.

 

Breakfast would be in Luminae or the buffet. Room Service can also be arranged with your retreat host (butler).

Edited May 12, 2022 by mom says

[jelayne]

Don’t count on the Shoreside concierge contacting you it can be hit or miss.

As others have said Blu for dinner is on a space available basis, you can however have breakfast on Blu without a space limitation.  
Sushi, Le Petit Chef, Tuscan, etc can be booked, for a fee, through the Cruise Planner, the shoreside concierge or your Retreat Host or Concierge.  
We find the Blu menu more to our liking than Luminae, however on the Eclipse in Luminae you can also order from the MDR menu which expands your options.

[lovecruzin]

We sailed in Aqua on the Eclipse from Vancouver to Hawaii. This was probably my least favorite Blu menu that I have experienced. It was hit or miss if we could order from the MDR and there were not the usual every night choices. Luminae may offer more choices food wise.

 

Aqua cabins were at 100% occupancy and Blu was always busy. If you want to try Blu, you will probably have a better chance when you are in port late, not on a sea day.

[SHIP TRAVELER]

I just wanted to add a comment about dining in Le Petit Chef because so many people posting here say one and done about their experience there.  We had unlimited specialty restaurants on a cruise earlier this year and I wanted to try everything available.  LPC is only available in the evening and it is like a group dinner.  Everyone has to be seated and start at the same time.  There is a set menu that can be somewhat tailored to your tastes.  An animated production is shown on your table top.  Sounds sort of glitzy so far right, sort of a one time experience.  The thing was the night we ate there the food (lobster menu night) was so much better than I expected that it was really a surprise.

 

As to Sushi on Five, it is an ala carte casual place, it is open for lunch and dinner and you can order as much or as little as you like.  It is never crowded and has great ocean views.4

 

Google can give you a lot of tips and information about dining on Celebrity.  Look into some of the dining packages to save money on the fixed rate restaurants if you want to try several.  The food is Luminae is often much better than it sounds in the menu descriptions.  The desserts there are over the top.  

[asnaleah]

If you’re in a hurry at breakfast, consider the Spa Cafe. We like the lunch choices too. And I agree with the OP. Luminae’s food is very good but the descriptions can be a little off sometimes.

[Peteymil]

16 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

We sailed in Aqua on the Eclipse from Vancouver to Hawaii. This was probably my least favorite Blu menu that I have experienced. It was hit or miss if we could order from the MDR and there were not the usual every night choices. Luminae may offer more choices food wise.

 

Aqua cabins were at 100% occupancy and Blu was always busy. If you want to try Blu, you will probably have a better chance when you are in port late, not on a sea day.

So are you saying sometimes you could order from the MDR and sometimes not? Did it depend on the server?

[lovecruzin]

3 hours ago, Peteymil said:

So are you saying sometimes you could order from the MDR and sometimes not? Did it depend on the server?

One server in particular was not accommodating at all. 
The proximity to the MDR And how busy Blu was could have been a factor but we preferred not to sit in this waiters section for various reasons 😊

[LeeW]

If the Luminae dessert includes the Dome, try it!  And have your camera ready.

[drakes2]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:11 PM, asnaleah said:

If you’re in a hurry at breakfast, consider the Spa Cafe. We like the lunch choices too. And I agree with the OP. Luminae’s food is very good but the descriptions can be a little off sometimes.

I usually enjoy the Spa Cafe for breakfast when I have an early shore excursion, however when on the Eclipse a couple weeks ago their bagels were stale and the next time I went they ran out of bananas not sure if they ever got them as never went back for breakfast.  For lunch they only serve one type of soup which is sweet potato, several types of salads but nothing too appetizing. Chicken salad was pretty good but that's about it. I noticed line up for smoothies long as only one server around.  Certainly not the experience of other ships but then again as we all know they are short staffed in all areas.