Breakfast in the Epicurean

[Son of Bare]

What qualifies a passenger to have breakfast in the Epicurean, is it just for suite passengers or does peninsula club membership above a certain tier also qualify you?

Where is it held on those ships without an Epicurean?

[molecrochip]

It’s just Suite passengers.

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, Son of Bare said:

What qualifies a passenger to have brekfast in the Epicurean, is it just for suite passengers or does peninsula club membership above a certain tier also qualify you?

Where is it held on those ships without an Epicurean?

It’s in Sindhu on Arcadia and (I think) Aurora. We have only used it as suite passengers but somebody on this forum who wasn’t in a suite was able to use it on, from memory, Iona by paying a daily supplement. Never heard of that before, so it could have been a ‘back pocket’ job 😂 

[david63]

There are some who claim that because they eat there most nights that they are "invited" to breakfast there - no idea how true it is but if they do then, in my opinion, it is totally wrong as that is one of the few perks that suite passengers have.

[daiB]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

It’s in Sindhu on Arcadia and (I think) Aurora. We have only used it as suite passengers but somebody on this forum who wasn’t in a suite was able to use it on, from memory, Iona by paying a daily supplement. Never heard of that before, so it could have been a ‘back pocket’ job 😂 

Once again Shhhhhhhh.

[Son of Bare]

Thanks.

I'm slightly surprised that it isn't also open to the top 2 peninsula club tiers.

[Camberley]

2 hours ago, Selbourne said:

It’s in Sindhu on Arcadia and (I think) Aurora. We have only used it as suite passengers but somebody on this forum who wasn’t in a suite was able to use it on, from memory, Iona by paying a daily supplement. Never heard of that before, so it could have been a ‘back pocket’ job 😂 

We asked about this when we had our normal suite breakfast in there last month (Iona) as it had popped up on these forums about folk paying extra for breakfast there - and in our next non-suite cruise we’d probably pay for a few Epicurean breakfasts. We were told that it was not a thing. Maybe they trialled this on a cruise. 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Camberley

[Selbourne]

41 minutes ago, Son of Bare said:

Thanks.

I'm slightly surprised that it isn't also open to the top 2 peninsula club tiers.

Although we don’t use suites any more and are Caribbean tier, I don’t think that would be right. Other than the extra space of the cabin, it’s about the only worthwhile benefit of having a suite. 

[sueandphil]

There was an option to have breakfast in Epicurean on Arvia TA in January for around £8 pp. I was told it was something they were trialing.  With only 26 suites it was never full in there but on Britannia for instance there are 64 suites I think so it can be quite busy at breakfast.  If you then factor in the top tiers as well it could be busier than the Buffet

 

[Son of Anarchy]

When we were on Arvia in April I asked the front of house staff at Epicurean about breakfast there for non suite passengers.  I was told £8 pp, just book at or belly up to the restaurant, or - wait for it - book on the "app"!

 

Was quite happy to give it a go as we had shed loads of OBC, but eventually we decided not to.  BTW, out of interest I checked on the "app" and could not see a way of booking using that.

[pete14]

8 hours ago, Son of Anarchy said:

When we were on Arvia in April I asked the front of house staff at Epicurean about breakfast there for non suite passengers.  I was told £8 pp, just book at or belly up to the restaurant, or - wait for it - book on the "app"!

 

Was quite happy to give it a go as we had shed loads of OBC, but eventually we decided not to.  BTW, out of interest I checked on the "app" and could not see a way of booking using that.

If that is the case, it is presumably limited to the large ships that actually have few suites (24 I think). However, as others have said, charging £8 per head, which is cheap in my opinion, devalues the perk that people are offered for booking the most expensive cabins. Even if it was bookable and numbers were strictly controlled, the experience is unlikely to be as special. Currently, suite passengers can turn up when they choose within the ‘opening hours’ knowing they will get a table and will be attended to straightaway. Small numbers means better, individual service and food that should be served hot is cooked to order and actually served hot (toast excepted!). 

[Guest ccpm]

13 hours ago, Selbourne said:

It’s in Sindhu on Arcadia and (I think) Aurora. We have only used it as suite passengers but somebody on this forum who wasn’t in a suite was able to use it on, from memory, Iona by paying a daily supplement. Never heard of that before, so it could have been a ‘back pocket’ job 😂 

Nope it was not. No pockets involved other then standard. ones. You can pay it was £8.50pd I saw a review that mentioned it and asked the Maitre D' simple as that. It was not advertised anywhere so not sure how you would normally find out. Now the Keel and Cow do breakfast I am not sure if this will continue on Iona.

[Guest ccpm]

13 hours ago, david63 said:

There are some who claim that because they eat there most nights that they are "invited" to breakfast there - no idea how true it is but if they do then, in my opinion, it is totally wrong as that is one of the few perks that suite passengers have.

Yes that was me too and yes it is true. Now I can (and do) pay that does not apply anymore so I will no longer be a wrong doer but will from above comments be devaluing suite passengers experience. Pity that maybe I need to reconsider my dining options. I was harassed in the MDR for being a "snobby cow who thought I was better than my table companions". My fault I have very poor hearing so with the noise of a busy dining room I couldn't hear anyone so I took myself off to Epicurean. Now I am spoiling suite guests experience by accepting a very kind invitation or paying for breakfast can't win. Maybe room service is thew only option left to me where I will trouble no-one.

Edited June 19, 2023 by ccpm

[molecrochip]

The paid option has been trialed on Iona and Arvia where capacity exceeds Suite guests.

 

The trial was initially offered to those who went to Epicurean in the evening but later was opened more widely.

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

The paid option has been trialed on Iona and Arvia where capacity exceeds Suite guests.

 

The trial was initially offered to those who went to Epicurean in the evening but later was opened more widely.

Will it still be happening on Iona in August? Might go for it if it is. As I said earlier, I’m very glad that we no longer book suites though. We felt that they were no longer worth the price premium when the only two things that we thought were meaningful benefits were the extra space and being able to have breakfast in Epicurean. Now that the second benefit has been eroded……. 🤔

[david63]

10 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

The paid option has been trialed on Iona and Arvia where capacity exceeds Suite guests

Or in layman's terms - another Carnival bean counter's idea to increase income at the expense of those who have paid for the privilege.

 

Perhaps if suite passengers used the MDR for breakfast they could have refund!!

[molecrochip]

I’m not sure. It’s tended to be cruises where there were not lots of 3rd and 4th passengers booked into suites, as far as I can see.

[david63]

1 minute ago, molecrochip said:

I’m not sure. It’s tended to be cruises where there were not lots of 3rd and 4th passengers booked into suites, as far as I can see.

Not sure what that has to do with anything. It matters not how many are in a suite it is still only one table.

[molecrochip]

Just now, david63 said:

Or in layman's terms - another Carnival bean counter's idea to increase income at the expense of those who have paid for the privilege.

 

Perhaps if suite passengers used the MDR for breakfast they could have refund!!

Unfair. On some ships such as Azura, Britannia and Ventura, the restaurant is only big enough for suite guests.

 

Thats not the case on Iona and Arvia.

 

it’s a bit like the room service. Non suite guests pay for the privilege, suite guests don’t.

[molecrochip]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

Not sure what that has to do with anything. It matters not how many are in a suite it is still only one table.

Staffing, and galley capacity are based on a set number of covers. Spare capacity therefore reduces when 3rd/4th passengers travel.

[Selbourne]

7 minutes ago, david63 said:

Perhaps if suite passengers used the MDR for breakfast they could have refund!!

We gave up on Epicurean for breakfast on one cruise as there was a very noisy family who spoilt the experience every day and a baby with another couple that screamed a lot. We found the MDR to be more relaxing! That was another of the reasons we gave up on suites, when we realised that you can’t guarantee a quiet start to the day in Epicurean 😂 

[zap99]

29 minutes ago, david63 said:

Or in layman's terms - another Carnival bean counter's idea to increase income at the expense of those who have paid for the privilege.

 

Perhaps if suite passengers used the MDR for breakfast they could have refund!!

We often have a quick breakfast in the buffet before getting on with important things, like getting ashore. We should get big refund.

[david63]

26 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Staffing, and galley capacity are based on a set number of covers. Spare capacity therefore reduces when 3rd/4th passengers travel.

That argument does not hold water [sic] as there is no way on any of the ships of knowing how many suite passengers will use Epicurean (or wherever) on any particular day nor at what time they intend to use it.

[david63]

32 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Thats not the case on Iona and Arvia.

Then that is a good enough reason to not sail on those ships

[molecrochip]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

That argument does not hold water [sic] as there is no way on any of the ships of knowing how many suite passengers will use Epicurean (or wherever) on any particular day nor at what time they intend to use it.

It does.

 

Spare capacity = actual capacity less every suite guest.

 

On Arvia/Iona this is a good number of tables available for selling. There’s no overselling.

 

On other ships spare capacity = zero.

 

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

Then that is a good enough reason to not sail on those ships

Well, in my view choosing not to sail on a ship because they’ve chosen to make one restaurant bigger is daft. But make your own choice.