1st time Celebrity Cruiser -- questions about dining

[tarheel87]

Hi everyone,

I am a relatively inexperienced cruiser (only 3 cruises under my belt) and my husband and I are sailing on Celebrity Reflection to the ABC Islands in March.  I'm trying to figure out dining and I have some questions about the specialty restaurants.  A quick note about us:  I eat about anything but my husband does not eat any seafood ever.  We both, however, are pretty decent cooks and we love a well-prepared meal.  So here are my questions:

 

1. The specialty dining package (4 nights) is running at 8% off for $197.99.  Is that worth it or can we expect to find a better sale between now and the end of March?  Or can I get a better deal when on the ship?

2. What do you think of the different specialty dining options on the Refection?  Are they worth the price? 

3. Le Petit Chef appears to have two menus.  Can you substitute (for example, my husband will want the French Onion Soup rather than the Bouillabaisse)

4. I watched a review that said the Lawn Club Grill was really good.  Is that your experience?

5. Any other suggestions you have about dining on the Reflection?

 

Many, many thanks for your help.

[kathynorth]

Specialty dining packages are sold at a discounted rate compared to booking each restaurant individually. These packages sometimes go on sale, as you see with your current 8% off offer. The upside to booking a package precruise is the discounted rate. The downside is that you can't reserve a time precruise and you get whatever reservation times are still available after boarding. If you book an individual restaurant then you can choose your dining time precruise. If you like to eat very early or very late then booking a package isn't usually a problem. However, if you absolutely need to eat at say 7-7:30 then you may have trouble getting the reservation times you prefer. In the past we used to be able to get great deals on ship, but since the restart the best we've been able to snag has been 20% off the full price at individual restaurants. We have an upcoming cruise and booked a multi-night package because we were able to book during a 25% off sale and decided to deal with crazy dining times. As an FYI, if you book with your 8% off deal and you see there's a better precruise sale closer to your cruise date, then you can cancel and rebook the package without penalty. Just be sure there's availability before cancelling. 

 

We found the Reflection to have a nice variety of restaurants and we've enjoyed them all. The Lawn Club Grill was great, but Murano was our favorite!

 

If you do book a precruise package, try to get as early as possible check in time, then head straight to any of the restaurants to make your dining reservations. 

 

[39august]

It isn't really necessary to book a specialty package. Often when on board different restaurants offer discounts. I suggest you try the main dining rooms and buffet before deciding to book specialties. We feel they are way over priced for what you get.  That is with the exceptions of Lawn Club Grill and Sushi on 5. The outdoor ambiance  of Lawn Club Grill is different from the usual cruise restaurants. 

[NMTraveller]

52 minutes ago, tarheel87 said:

Hi everyone,

I am a relatively inexperienced cruiser (only 3 cruises under my belt) and my husband and I are sailing on Celebrity Reflection to the ABC Islands in March.  I'm trying to figure out dining and I have some questions about the specialty restaurants.  A quick note about us:  I eat about anything but my husband does not eat any seafood ever.  We both, however, are pretty decent cooks and we love a well-prepared meal.  So here are my questions:

 

1. The specialty dining package (4 nights) is running at 8% off for $197.99.  Is that worth it or can we expect to find a better sale between now and the end of March?  Or can I get a better deal when on the ship?

2. What do you think of the different specialty dining options on the Refection?  Are they worth the price? 

3. Le Petit Chef appears to have two menus.  Can you substitute (for example, my husband will want the French Onion Soup rather than the Bouillabaisse)

4. I watched a review that said the Lawn Club Grill was really good.  Is that your experience?

5. Any other suggestions you have about dining on the Reflection?

 

Many, many thanks for your help.

The best restaurant on the ship is Muranos.

 

3.  You can choose what you want from each of the two menus.  We would choose an appetizer from one and an entree from another.  LPC is mostly a plate show.  Fun to see if you have not been before.

 

If you get the dining package book as soon as you get on the ship or on the app in the terminal.  For some sailings popular times can book up.

[keesar]

If you want a certain day and time, then book individual restaurants and forget the package.  You could snag a deal on the ship but the times are less desirable to us.  

 

Murano is worth the price.  Excellent service and food.  Our favorite.  

[tarheel87]

Thanks everyone!  I think I'll choose my restaurants individually.  What is the biggest discount I can hope for if I book them in advance?

[NMTraveller]

Look for the sales around the holidays.  Labor Day, Memorial Day,  Independence Day, Black Friday, etc.  I want to say that it was 20% off and we booked individually before the cruise.  The prices with grats were right around $50 per person.