Chef’s Table by Daniel Boulud….opinions?

[lexmiller]

1 hour ago, Kteacher said:

Just sailed the Summit on 7/24. I booked the Chef’s table ahead of time through the shoreside concierge, and once onboard it showed up on my calendar as noon on embarkation day. It did take place on night 1 in Tuscan. 

OHHHHH, ok, that's exactly what is happening for us.......may I ask you another question, since your experience seems to be identical, same ship, us only 1 month after you - do you remember, on the first night of the cruise, were there two evening shows in the theater?  Sometimes on the first night, some ships, certain circumstances, there is only 1 show.......but usually, there are two - one at 7pm, one at 9pm.  I personally never want to miss the first night of the cruise in the theater - get to meet the cruise director, etc, really sets the tone for me.  So with the Chef's Table being the first night, at 7pm, I hope there is a 9pm show - do you recall?  OR, perhaps more pertinently, is the dinner longer than two hours - so that even if there is a 9pm show, the dinner might still be going on.......thank you for your input!

[Kteacher]

31 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

OHHHHH, ok, that's exactly what is happening for us.......may I ask you another question, since your experience seems to be identical, same ship, us only 1 month after you - do you remember, on the first night of the cruise, were there two evening shows in the theater?  Sometimes on the first night, some ships, certain circumstances, there is only 1 show.......but usually, there are two - one at 7pm, one at 9pm.  I personally never want to miss the first night of the cruise in the theater - get to meet the cruise director, etc, really sets the tone for me.  So with the Chef's Table being the first night, at 7pm, I hope there is a 9pm show - do you recall?  OR, perhaps more pertinently, is the dinner longer than two hours - so that even if there is a 9pm show, the dinner might still be going on.......thank you for your input!

Sorry, can’t help with the shows as we didn’t attend any. There’s a great review of my sailing by Gen X (including review of Chef’s Table 👍). I’m pretty sure we were there for 2+ hours. 

[lexmiller]

14 minutes ago, Kteacher said:

Sorry, can’t help with the shows as we didn’t attend any. There’s a great review of my sailing by Gen X (including review of Chef’s Table 👍). I’m pretty sure we were there for 2+ hours. 

Thank you!  OK, so now, I'm probably really starting to annoy you now, but not sure how I can find that review that Gen X wrote, I'm searching around........THANK YOU in advance if you have any patience left for me, and if not, thank you nonetheless!!

[cangelmd]

On 7/4/2022 at 10:57 AM, 5waldos said:

Where is the Market Tour advertised? Is it listed as an excursion someplace? 

It will be in the shore excursions. They only happen at certain ports, although I think our upcoming TA has one in each of 2 ports.

[Kteacher]

2 hours ago, lexmiller said:

Thank you!  OK, so now, I'm probably really starting to annoy you now, but not sure how I can find that review that Gen X wrote, I'm searching around........THANK YOU in advance if you have any patience left for me, and if not, thank you nonetheless!!

 

[lexmiller]

38 minutes ago, Kteacher said:

 

Thank you for the link - gosh, I have never followed GenX, I sure will now, what a great writer!  She didn't actually eat at the Chef's Table dinner - she did have dinner in Tuscan the first night of the cruise and gives a great review of her dinner - but she does make this comment about the Chef's Table being held at the same time as she was dining, as her service was slow:  Service was a little slow, but the staff seemed to be doing the best they could and were very friendly and apologetic about wait times. I think the issue was that the Chef’s Table event was also being held in the back of the restaurant.  From the looks of the plates and wine going out for that, it has to tie up quite a bit of the resources for the Tuscan kitchen crew and sommeliers.

@KteacherI thank you very much for all of your help on this!

[Kteacher]

25 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

Thank you for the link - gosh, I have never followed GenX, I sure will now, what a great writer!  She didn't actually eat at the Chef's Table dinner - she did have dinner in Tuscan the first night of the cruise and gives a great review of her dinner - but she does make this comment about the Chef's Table being held at the same time as she was dining, as her service was slow:  Service was a little slow, but the staff seemed to be doing the best they could and were very friendly and apologetic about wait times. I think the issue was that the Chef’s Table event was also being held in the back of the restaurant.  From the looks of the plates and wine going out for that, it has to tie up quite a bit of the resources for the Tuscan kitchen crew and sommeliers.

@KteacherI thank you very much for all of your help on this!

You’re welcome! Sorry, we dined with her and her husband for the Veuve Cliquot dinner, not the Chef’s Table. Both well worth it btw. 

[SraLiz]

We have had several Chefs Table experiences both on Celebrity and on other lines.  The last one being October 2021 on the Equinox.  This one, was by far, the most disappointing for us. 

For us, the Chef's Table is a total experience, not just dinner.  When we started these experiences there was just one event offered with 8 guests.  It really was exclusive.  We loved the intimate conversations with the Chef and his team.  We enjoyed the tour of the galley and the interactions with the staff.  We loved the delicious creations from the Chef and his interpretations of ingredients. The table side chats with other guests were a highlight.      

This last experience was really just a pre-fab, upscale restaurant, in and out experience.  No galley tour, no intimate conversations with the Chef (he didn't even come for the dessert or afterward to say goodbye) Just a "here's the dish made from blah blah blah."  12 people and there were actually 3 offered on this trip.  The Retreat Host told us they will have as many as needed to accommodate the requests.   The menu was the Daniel B. and honestly... it was the same items/quality/flavors served in Luminae, so not really exclusive.  It is a lot of food, but I am more into quality not quantity. 

I hope the OP tries it and makes their own decision, but for us, we won't be going again.  

[SusieAV8R]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:25 AM, SraLiz said:

We have had several Chefs Table experiences both on Celebrity and on other lines.  The last one being October 2021 on the Equinox.  This one, was by far, the most disappointing for us. 

For us, the Chef's Table is a total experience, not just dinner.  When we started these experiences there was just one event offered with 8 guests.  It really was exclusive.  We loved the intimate conversations with the Chef and his team.  We enjoyed the tour of the galley and the interactions with the staff.  We loved the delicious creations from the Chef and his interpretations of ingredients. The table side chats with other guests were a highlight.      

This last experience was really just a pre-fab, upscale restaurant, in and out experience.  No galley tour, no intimate conversations with the Chef (he didn't even come for the dessert or afterward to say goodbye) Just a "here's the dish made from blah blah blah."  12 people and there were actually 3 offered on this trip.  The Retreat Host told us they will have as many as needed to accommodate the requests.   The menu was the Daniel B. and honestly... it was the same items/quality/flavors served in Luminae, so not really exclusive.  It is a lot of food, but I am more into quality not quantity. 

I hope the OP tries it and makes their own decision, but for us, we won't be going again.  

Your prior experience with Chef's Table (8 guests, Chef chatting, unique courses , side chats with other guests, etc.) was our experience also.  Consequently, we were going to try the Chef's Table on our Christmas/NYE cruise, but based on what you said, we'll skip it and keep our wonderful memories of past Chef's Table.  Thank you 🙂

[MamaFej]

I have yet to hear anything positive about the Chef’s Table with Daniel Bouloud on X. 
 

We are currently on the 3rd leg of B2B2B on the Summit. After three tries (one on Constellation in May, and two on Summit) we finally got to do the Vueve Cliquot dinner a few nights ago, on our second leg. 
 

It was fantastic! Great food, great wines, great company, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a friendly chef. 
 

We mentioned to the Cellar Master and the sommelier that we had heard the VC dinner was far superior to the CT with DB, both agreed. Other passengers at the dinner had heard the same. 
 

 

On the other hand, we did the French Chef’s Table dinner on the Azamara Pursuit in June. It was MAGNIFICENT, and less than half the price of the very good VC and mediocre at best (from what I have read) Chef’s Table dinners on Celebrity. 
 

Azamara also has two other Chef’s Table dinners, but those menus did not appeal to our tastes. I’m sure they would appeal to others. 

[SusieAV8R]

8 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

I have yet to hear anything positive about the Chef’s Table with Daniel Bouloud on X. 
 

We are currently on the 3rd leg of B2B2B on the Summit. After three tries (one on Constellation in May, and two on Summit) we finally got to do the Vueve Cliquot dinner a few nights ago, on our second leg. 
 

It was fantastic! Great food, great wines, great company, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a friendly chef. 
 

We mentioned to the Cellar Master and the sommelier that we had heard the VC dinner was far superior to the CT with DB, both agreed. Other passengers at the dinner had heard the same. 
 

 

On the other hand, we did the French Chef’s Table dinner on the Azamara Pursuit in June. It was MAGNIFICENT, and less than half the price of the very good VC and mediocre at best (from what I have read) Chef’s Table dinners on Celebrity. 
 

Azamara also has two other Chef’s Table dinners, but those menus did not appeal to our tastes. I’m sure they would appeal to others. 

Thank you so much!!! I was not aware of the VC dinner, but I am assuredly going to look into it; especially since we are on B2B2B2B (3legs) on Summit for Christmas/NYE!!  🙂 🙂 

[jelayne]

41 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

I have yet to hear anything positive about the Chef’s Table with Daniel Bouloud on X. 
 

We are currently on the 3rd leg of B2B2B on the Summit. After three tries (one on Constellation in May, and two on Summit) we finally got to do the Vueve Cliquot dinner a few nights ago, on our second leg. 
 

It was fantastic! Great food, great wines, great company, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a friendly chef. 
 

We mentioned to the Cellar Master and the sommelier that we had heard the VC dinner was far superior to the CT with DB, both agreed. Other passengers at the dinner had heard the same. 
 

 

On the other hand, we did the French Chef’s Table dinner on the Azamara Pursuit in June. It was MAGNIFICENT, and less than half the price of the very good VC and mediocre at best (from what I have read) Chef’s Table dinners on Celebrity. 
 

Azamara also has two other Chef’s Table dinners, but those menus did not appeal to our tastes. I’m sure they would appeal to others. 

Just saying HI!
Sounds like you are having a good time.

J

[capsplace]

Wow!  Thank you all for the great remarks.  
We’ve done one Chef’s Market tour event in Naples and it was phenomenal!  Strongly recommend if it’s offered on your cruise.
 

So how might we book the Champagne dinner?  Never seen it before as an option.  Sounds wonderful!  Do we need to call Celebrity.

[letsgogogo]

On 8/9/2022 at 9:25 AM, Kteacher said:

Just sailed the Summit on 7/24. I booked the Chef’s table ahead of time through the shoreside concierge, and once onboard it showed up on my calendar as noon on embarkation day. It did take place on night 1 in Tuscan. 

How was it? How many others?

[Kteacher]

4 hours ago, letsgogogo said:

How was it? How many others?

It was excellent. There was a least one more held that week. We dined at Tuscan the last night of the cruise and Chef’s Table was taking place.

[adolfo2]

On 7/2/2022 at 9:46 PM, MamaFej said:

We were so excited to do it! The day of the dinner, we were called to say it had been canceled, as not enough people had signed up. 

So an unadvertised event gets cancelled because not enough people signed up for it 😞 Very poor planning on the part of Celebrity.

[adolfo2]

Tried the Chef's Table w/optional wine pairing on Edge. IMHO it's not worth the $$$.

The Chef's Table on Royal is 50% of the cost and an equivalent experience.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 7/2/2022 at 9:46 PM, MamaFej said:

...

 

We were so excited to do it! The day of the dinner, we were called to say it had been canceled, as not enough people had signed up. 

 

...

 

That's what happened on our February Reflection sailing. When we signed on, there were already two other couples, so the two of us added enough to make it happen. Over the intervening couple of days, both other couples bowed out (I wonder if they learned we had signed up, and bailed - lol). 

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On 7/2/2022 at 7:18 PM, cangelmd said:

All the small group dinners are very dependent on the group, often there will be a couple of participants who monopolize the conversation or get smashed on the expensive wine or just don’t understand what this was going to be like - luck of the draw. When it is a good group,it can be the highlight of the cruise.

...

 

That's always the catch. We've encountered some real "gems"...

 

Tom

[capsplace]

The easiest way to find the Chef’s Market Discoveries is in the Shore Excursion link, which you can find at the bottom of the Celebrity website.  Then select filters, interests, and the Chef’s Mkt Disc.  There’s a list of all that are available, or would appear to be so.  Most are Spain and Italy. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by capsplace

[Beachlover1989]

40 minutes ago, capsplace said:

The easiest way to find the Chef’s Market Discoveries is in the Shore Excursion link, which you can find at the bottom of the Celebrity website.  Then select filters, interests, and the Chef’s Mkt Disc.  There’s a list of all that are available, or would appear to be so.  Most are Spain and Italy. 

We have one on our Antarctica cruise in Montevideo, Uruguay and we're really looking forward to it!  The only problem is it's the last full day of the cruise, which is when I'm usually panic packing to get it done by 10pm 🤪, especially after a 14 night cruise!

[capsplace]

36 minutes ago, Beachlover1989 said:

We have one on our Antarctica cruise in Montevideo, Uruguay and we're really looking forward to it!  The only problem is it's the last full day of the cruise, which is when I'm usually panic packing to get it done by 10pm 🤪, especially after a 14 night cruise!

Same experience for us, and it was at the end of B2B TA and Mediterranean cruises,  Last day/night of the Med cruise was Naples, Italy which was where the Chef’s Tour Started from.  We went to Sorrento, Positano, and a farm where they grow lemons, make lemoncello, and cheese.  Dh and I hung out with the chef the entire time.  Some folks did not. As a result, we sampled all sorts of meats and cheeses at numerous local and tiny shops.  Not tourist places at all.   It was the best tour.  We got back to the ship around 4:30 and packed everything up before the dinner, which was at 6:30.  We had a fun group of 11, so dinner lasted well after 10pm.  And dinner was off the charts! 

Edited September 12, 2022 by capsplace

[Beachlover1989]

1 hour ago, capsplace said:

Same experience for us, and it was at the end of B2B TA and Mediterranean cruises,  Last day/night of the Med cruise was Naples, Italy which was where the Chef’s Tour Started from.  We went to Sorrento, Positano, and a farm where they grow lemons, make lemoncello, and cheese.  Dh and I hung out with the chef the entire time.  Some folks did not. As a result, we sampled all sorts of meats and cheeses at numerous local and tiny shops.  Not tourist places at all.   It was the best tour.  We got back to the ship around 4:30 and packed everything up before the dinner, which was at 6:30.  We had a fun group of 11, so dinner lasted well after 10pm.  And dinner was off the charts! 

This makes me even more excited to hear about your great experience!  Guess I'll be packing the day before!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Beachlover1989 said:

last full day of the cruise, which is when I'm usually panic packing to get it done by 10pm 

 

I always pack what I can as I use it so the last day is just all the last minute stuff. Makes for a much more enjoyable final day!

[Beachlover1989]

1 hour ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

I always pack what I can as I use it so the last day is just all the last minute stuff. Makes for a much more enjoyable final day!

Great idea!  I'll have to try this next time!