dreamer321 Posted April 5, 2023 #26 Share Posted April 5, 2023 (edited) 9 hours ago, Maplemoose said: So the rest of we peons have no choice but to go to the overcrowded buffet? Nice! I am already regretting trying Celebrity. I have gone on 5 other cruise lines and always had an option to avoid the buffet. Even worse is having the dining room and not allowing us in. What about the hot dog place at the pool? Is that open maybe? It depends on what ship you are on. I sailed on Beyond and went to Le Grand Bistro for embarkation day lunch $30 + 18% tip. Yes it was pricey but the menu was worth it. The serene atmosphere was great ( less than 25% of the tables were occupied) and I sat at a window table with a wonderful view looking out to the ocean past the narrow barrier island. I ordered ESCARGOT Basil, garlic, lemon, butter, sea salt LOBSTER BISQUE Tarragon, puff pastry SOLE MEUNIÈRE Pan seared Dover Sole, lemon butter caper sauce, boiled butter potatoes I also tried all four desserts: CRÈME BRÛLÉE Caramelized vanilla egg custard with fresh berries PROFITEROLES Stuffed with chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce FLOATING ISLAND Crème anglaise, caramel sauce APPLE TARTIN I also had the premium beverage package so I tried all the specialty cocktails they offered. I would do this specialty lunch again in a heartbeat if I ever make it back to an Edge class ship. Edited April 5, 2023 by dreamer321 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 1025cruise Posted April 5, 2023 #27 Share Posted April 5, 2023 Outside of Celebrity in concierge, I have only cruised on one cruise line that has offered a MDR lunch on embarkation day. And I never made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted April 5, 2023 #28 Share Posted April 5, 2023 17 hours ago, DaKahuna said: As far as I know this has always been the case with Celebrity. At least it was when we first started sailing Celebrity since 2016. It's not a secret that this is how Celebrity's dining is on embarkation day so maybe a little research before booking would have disclosed this fact to you. Yes, the Poolside Grill is open 1200 - 1800 on Embarkation day. An alternatives is to have lunch before you embark and then you do not have to worry about the "over crowded buffet." Yet another alternative would have been to have booked a Concierge class room or a Suite. Then you would have other dining alternatives to you. You are correct this has always been an amenity for booking Concierge class cabins. After the restart from Covid in 2021 the embarkation lunches for concierge were canceled, and you should have heard the complaints here in CC. I do not believe the lunch was back until cruises later in 2022, it was available for our August Reflection cruise last August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted April 5, 2023 #29 Share Posted April 5, 2023 31 minutes ago, 1025cruise said: Outside of Celebrity in concierge, I have only cruised on one cruise line that has offered a MDR lunch on embarkation day. And I never made it. We have been on 8 HAL cruises and only made their MDR lunch once, on one cruise we got to the MDR 5 minutes before closing and they refused to seat us. The HAL MDR on embarkation day is usually open from 11:30 to 1:00pm. Last year on the Oosterdam in Trieste we made lunch at noon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
di T Posted April 5, 2023 #30 Share Posted April 5, 2023 16 hours ago, AmberCascades said: We've been sailing Celebrity since 2013 and the MDR has never been open on embarkation day, other than for Concierge. Were you Concierge, or in a suite perhaps? We have many cruises with Celebrity and about 15 b2b have only been able to use the main dinning room on change over day and when sailing concierge, Menu is just ok but nice and calm as opposed to the buffet on embarkation day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted April 5, 2023 #31 Share Posted April 5, 2023 2 hours ago, di T said: We have many cruises with Celebrity and about 15 b2b have only been able to use the main dinning room on change over day and when sailing concierge, Menu is just ok but nice and calm as opposed to the buffet on embarkation day! I am surprised more Aqua Class customers do not complain about no embarkation lunch for them since both Suites and Concierge class gets one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekathy Posted April 5, 2023 #32 Share Posted April 5, 2023 21 hours ago, san diego spartan said: I have sailed with Celebrity since 2017 and we were able to eat in the MDR on embarkation day. As I stated this is always our POA when we get on board. You must cruise in Suites, Concierge Class, made Zenith very quickly or do a lot of B2B cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DaKahuna Posted April 5, 2023 #33 Share Posted April 5, 2023 3 hours ago, terrydtx said: I am surprised more Aqua Class customers do not complain about no embarkation lunch for them since both Suites and Concierge class gets one. I wonder if Blu not being open for lunch has anything to do with that? 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mduffles64 Posted April 8, 2023 #34 Share Posted April 8, 2023 What about the rest of the cruise - Can you eat breakfast/lunch/dinner in the MDR regardless of your stateroom classification? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekathy Posted April 8, 2023 #35 Share Posted April 8, 2023 2 minutes ago, mduffles64 said: What about the rest of the cruise - Can you eat breakfast/lunch/dinner in the MDR regardless of your stateroom classification? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted April 8, 2023 #36 Share Posted April 8, 2023 4 minutes ago, mduffles64 said: What about the rest of the cruise - Can you eat breakfast/lunch/dinner in the MDR regardless of your stateroom classification? The MDR is only open on sea days for lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and Green Posted April 8, 2023 Author #37 Share Posted April 8, 2023 Thanks for everyones responses! It just showed up in my app--under Loyalty & Suites. "Celebrity Concierge Class Exclusive Lunch, " Deck 4 12:00-1:30. Looking forward to our first cruise with Celebrity! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jelayne Posted April 8, 2023 #38 Share Posted April 8, 2023 On 4/5/2023 at 11:25 AM, terrydtx said: I am surprised more Aqua Class customers do not complain about no embarkation lunch for them since both Suites and Concierge class gets one. I happily forgo 1 lunch on the MDR for breakfast & dinner every day in Blu 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted April 8, 2023 #39 Share Posted April 8, 2023 14 minutes ago, jelayne said: I happily forgo 1 lunch on the MDR for breakfast & dinner every day in Blu I would too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now