Specialty dining charges seem really high

[calicakes]

Just now, LabMom57 said:

We are also booked for the Galapagos in January 2025 on the Xpedition!

We booked Flora for October.  We walked into the Future Cruise office and I meant to say 2026 when I'll turn 60, but I accidentally said 2025.  Its probably better that I'll be a year younger.  From the recent vlogs on those cruises, its a very active cruise.  I was tired just reading about it. 

[maureenk]

You will love the Galapagos!  We did Flora in Oct of 2022. So awesome!!  Is Red Ginger on Oceania?

[Tyler414]

Celebrity recently increased its price for Eden from $65 to $85 and Le Voyage $85 to $125 plus 20% gratuity.  This is before any discounts. 

[calicakes]

25 minutes ago, maureenk said:

You will love the Galapagos!  We did Flora in Oct of 2022. So awesome!!  Is Red Ginger on Oceania?

Yes, its on Marina and maybe other ships.  It wasn't on Insignia or Sirena. 

[sptrout]

39 minutes ago, maureenk said:

It’s 8% off now. I’m waiting to buy on board  to use my shipboard credit. 

You can use your OBC to purchase now instead of waiting. Your Cruise Planner should show the amount of OBC available in your account. Best to reserve/buy early to make sure that you get the day & time desired. Nothing to lose, you can always cancel later and get your OBC returned to your account.

 

We were on Beyond for 11 days ending last week and I pre-purchased two evenings in Le Voyage and one in Fine Cut. Glad I did since we got both at the old pricing. The prices shown include gratuities and after dinner in each there was no check given and no tips expected. Just standup and leave; weird feeling. (FYI - - Both provided wine from our package, so no extra charge for that.)

 

A year ago we were on Beyond for 7 days and dined at Le Voyage & Eden. Not impressed with Eden, but may have been just us. Le Voyage on the other hand has great food and over-the-top service. We had trouble keeping track of which server did what. The reason we bought two nights this last trip. 

 

Trivia - - For fans of the TV show "Suits" Chef Daniel Boulud appeared briefly in at least two shows.

 

The "Fine Cut" was good IMO. I had the 12oz "Prime" aged sirloin (Premium Cut); the best sirloin that I have ever had (no extra charge BTW as some have misstated in other threads). DW got the "Filet Mignon", which she said was good. Since we were in a Suite and dined at Luminae all other nights, filet mignon was repetitive IMO. (She got the filet at Le Voyage also.)

 

With the new very steep pricing, I do not think we would booked any of these again unless we had the $1,000 OBC to burn like we did this past week. Nice to have money to burn; DW got two nice purses and makeup. I could not think of anything that I wanted. And we still have another $750 rebate check coming from the TA. 

[maureenk]

Thanks for all the restaurant details!  I have 2 kinds of onboard credit. One that I have access to now, which I used for a discounted excursion, discounted laundry, and $6.99 beverage package upgrade promo for my hub and me. They were all on sale for Black Friday. The remaining credit becomes available once we are on board. I plan to book Eden and possibly Fine Cut as soon as we board, however, the pricing seems totally ridiculous to me. 

[sptrout]

9 minutes ago, maureenk said:

Thanks for all the restaurant details!  I have 2 kinds of onboard credit. One that I have access to now, which I used for a discounted excursion, discounted laundry, and $6.99 beverage package upgrade promo for my hub and me. They were all on sale for Black Friday. The remaining credit becomes available once we are on board. I plan to book Eden and possibly Fine Cut as soon as we board, however, the pricing seems totally ridiculous to me. 

Agreed, the prices are ridiculous. Celebrity seems to be determined to price themselves out of business. We are now Elite+ and our next cruise will be on the new "Sun Princess". A new ship not yet transferred over to Princess, but will be soon. With this new ship Princess seems to be moving to the ship within a ship concept. 

[Rudy888]

As some have indicated, prices may not be that bad, and the food has been very good but add to the cost the dinner we did not get in the MDR, and the gratuity it is quite expense. I probably would pay that much a home except force very special occasion

 

[horseymike]

3 hours ago, maureenk said:

It’s 8% off now. I’m waiting to buy on board  to use my shipboard credit. 

You should be able to use your OBC to book now and get the discount.

[Oville]

2 hours ago, sptrout said:

Agreed, the prices are ridiculous. Celebrity seems to be determined to price themselves out of business. We are now Elite+ and our next cruise will be on the new "Sun Princess". A new ship not yet transferred over to Princess, but will be soon. With this new ship Princess seems to be moving to the ship within a ship concept. 

Can’t disagree more.  Yes they are pricey but not something one may pay locally at a really nice restaurant at home for a wonderful dinner out.  

[NMTraveller]

And yet locally it is a better experience.  The ambiance is very nice and the food is cooked to perfection.

 

No comparison IMHO.

Edited January 24 by NMTraveller

[miched]

Nothing to seem.   They are too high.   Won’t book them any longer.   I have already paid for the meals in my cruise fare.  Add that additional and I can’t justify it.  Eat enough as it is without having to pay more to eat more than I need.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[LabMom57]

19 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

Any thoughts on how you do the comparison?

 

There is a secret to getting a good price on Oceania. You have to plan far ahead. The best pricing is when they first release the itineraries. The sailings are almost never less than that. Admittedly, it is still higher than I'd like with Simply More, but if I add up what we spend on drinks, food/dining, and excursions (assuming we do ship excursions which really depends on the itinerary), Celebrity is still higher at the end. Our trips tend to be longer and further away. We don't typically sail Caribbean itineraries. We like Oceania for the specialty restaurants and small ships and port intensive itineraries. We like HAL for overall value and itineraries. We chose Celebrity for the price and itinerary for Sydney to Auckland. I'm sure we will love the cruise. It's just coming out much more expensive than I had planned after adding in the excursions, specialty dining (I didn't get the discount prices), and cost of drinks.

 

YMMV.

[Jim_Iain]

19 hours ago, maureenk said:

It’s 8% off now. I’m waiting to buy on board  to use my shipboard credit. 

If you have  Celebrity NR OBC you can book it now and use your credit online and pick up the sales price.  If refundable really doesn't matter as your Refundable OBC if not used is credit back to your original form of payment or you can withdrawal it at front desk last day of cruise.

[lovescarborough]

Currently on Equinox and can definitely report that Murano has not been full on the three nights we’ve eaten there ( booked on a package pre sailing and pre the new prices ). We sat down at 8pm and by 9 pm had been served three courses and only a few tables occupied. The current price for Murano onboard is $70 plus gratuity. Tuscan is $55 plus grat. Much as we love Murano this is just too much and it is obvious many people feel the same. In the past we have sometimes struggled to get a table but not this time. 

[Lastdance]

21 hours ago, maureenk said:

You will love the Galapagos!  We did Flora in Oct of 2022. So awesome!!  Is Red Ginger on Oceania?

Yes, but always check the restaurants on the various ships; it is on Vista!

[LB_NJ]

2 hours ago, LabMom57 said:

 

There is a secret to getting a good price on Oceania. You have to plan far ahead. The best pricing is when they first release the itineraries. The sailings are almost never less than that. Admittedly, it is still higher than I'd like with Simply More, but if I add up what we spend on drinks, food/dining, and excursions (assuming we do ship excursions which really depends on the itinerary), Celebrity is still higher at the end. Our trips tend to be longer and further away. We don't typically sail Caribbean itineraries. We like Oceania for the specialty restaurants and small ships and port intensive itineraries. We like HAL for overall value and itineraries. We chose Celebrity for the price and itinerary for Sydney to Auckland. I'm sure we will love the cruise. It's just coming out much more expensive than I had planned after adding in the excursions, specialty dining (I didn't get the discount prices), and cost of drinks.

 

YMMV.

Thank you 

[sweep2907]

Been massive increase over the winter. Pre cruise I booked Eden on Beyond in 2022 and 2023 for around £50pp but now it is around £75 which is 50% increase since we sailed in September. It is good but not worth £150 for two.

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, Frenchkona said:

I understand there is a new specialty restaurant inside the fourth lifeboat on the port side.  

Hobo Menu!

[markeb]

1 hour ago, sweep2907 said:

Been massive increase over the winter. Pre cruise I booked Eden on Beyond in 2022 and 2023 for around £50pp but now it is around £75 which is 50% increase since we sailed in September. It is good but not worth £150 for two.

 

I'm going to confess that my first thought on this thread was yeah, they're high, but so's everything else. But you got my attention as a direct frame of reference.

 

We ate at a Michelin starred restaurant in Mayfair over the summer. Lunch, because we couldn't get in for dinner. They're currently showing £48 for a lunchtime tasting menu and £110 for an dinner tasting menu (without drinks). At £75 per person Eden's only £35 less than a Michelin restaurant. That's insane. And obviously that's an additional fee above what you've already paid for room and board...

 

My favorite restaurant in NYC has increased it's prices by 10% since 2019. They're starting at a higher point, so the absolute dollar value is quite a bit higher, but with everything that's happened in the industry in the last 4+ years the percentage change is actually realistic.

 

We used to eat in specialties on HAL and RCI but this past fall was the first time we had bothered on Celebrity. We've always eaten at Blu or Luminae and were happy. We went his time largely because we had a lot of unspent OBC. But memory is more $35-45 for Tuscan (memory could be wrong). For £75 I'd go someplace on land before or after the cruise...

[Joker54]

We are on the Solstice this March and the shoreside concierge sent pricing to us this week, showing $54.99 + grat for Murano and La Petite; and $49.99 + grat for Tuscan.

 

email didn’t specify if this is pre-cruise or onboard pricing.

 

Maybe those empty tables are having an impact.

 

Cheers

Edited January 25 by Joker54

[NMTraveller]

6 hours ago, markeb said:

 

I'm going to confess that my first thought on this thread was yeah, they're high, but so's everything else. But you got my attention as a direct frame of reference.

 

 

They are high.  But also the quality of the cuts have decreased in specialty dining.  Less for more.  For the last cruise we were in specialty 8 out of 11 times.  The only part that was worthwhile was the ambiance.  The food was very average/adequate.  Nothing special...

 

Next cruise I don't think that we will pay extra for ambiance...

Edited January 25 by NMTraveller

[Kmkub]

10 hours ago, Frenchkona said:

I understand there is a new specialty restaurant inside the fourth lifeboat on the port side.  

Any word on the cost? Might prove to be cozy! 

[paulvdb1]

On 1/23/2024 at 1:02 PM, maureenk said:

Am I being naive or are the prices for Eden and Fine Cut on Edge excessive?! 

Yep. Even more so for those not carrying USD. I just got off Eden today and saw lots of people paying the comical drink prices and off-the-planet trip prices. I didn't however see lots of people in those restaurants. Their prices are higher than many land based restaurants with awarded chefs. I think this has been a huge mistake by Celebrity. I shouldn't have to pay $AUD100+  per person to get slightly more expensive ingredients, that used to be included in the regular dining room. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

6 hours ago, paulvdb1 said:

Yep. Even more so for those not carrying USD. I just got off Eden today and saw lots of people paying the comical drink prices and off-the-planet trip prices. I didn't however see lots of people in those restaurants. Their prices are higher than many land based restaurants with awarded chefs. I think this has been a huge mistake by Celebrity. I shouldn't have to pay $AUD100+  per person to get slightly more expensive ingredients, that used to be included in the regular dining room. 

Almost as bad paying in CAD 😢

I miss 2013 when CAD was higher than then the USD