Fine Cut on Ascent, Is it worth it?

[Harrisonkid]

We have found the Specialty Restaurant experience to be very hit and miss now a days. And since it's an upcharge situation we have stopped scheduling it...

[harbourxie]

Eden was so good on Apex during our November 2021 sailing, but we don't think Eden is as good on Beyond during our December 2023 sailing. 

We will probably not do any specialty dining going forward unless the MDR is getting even worse to an unacceptable level. 

[DingoMom]

We very much enjoy Fine Cuts on the Ascent. However, I dislike their lobster preparation…the seasoning is not right for me and I Really disliked the lobster ‘ravioli’ in that dish. Thus, I have been able to substitute two lobster tails with drawn butter. Then my husband gets a slightly bigger steak, we share that, and we each have a lobster tail. Very delish!

[highway180]

On 2/17/2024 at 7:54 AM, billc23 said:

I do not think it is worth it. I had the dry aged ribeye and my wife the bone in filet - both extra charge items - and not close to Texas Roadhouse quality let alone Ruth Chris/Mortons to name a few US chain steakhouses. Eden served a superior meal.

I couldn't agree more!!

The dry aged ribeye was horrible (tough, tasteless). The service however was pretty good.

I had to inform them that I feed my dog better food

Cheers

[chisoxfan]

We thought Fine Cut on Ascent was very good but felt Rooftop was the best experience. That said X has become excessive with their specialty dining prices... if I can pay for a comparable experience on land for similar dollars I would prefer that. Based on X pricing I would probably opt only for Rooftop and be 'satisfied'. We were in Retreat and had a bunch of OBC and still could not be tempted to try the 'higher end' ie. Daniel Boulud (we have eaten at his other props) dining experiences on Ascent as we just did not feel it worthwhile. JMHO

[redjetz]

Fine Cut just didn’t cut it with us on our recent Ascent cruise, so we will skip it going forward. The beef simply wasn’t good enough to warrant the cost. ditto the steak I ordered in Eden.

 

In fact, the beef in Lumiere was not good either. Celebrity must have a new beef supplier or new cooking methods or something. The food in general was good, just not the beef.

[PTC DAWG]

The best specialty we had on the Ascent was the rooftop restaurant, everything was prepared very well, perfect service, they brought us almost one of everything on the menu..

[asctony]

So, with all these opinions and experiences, who do you agree with? 

What will you do? 

I personally believe Celebrity is totally overpriced for their SRs.

Service & food is good. Not 4 star like it used to be. JMHO!

HAPPY CRUISING!

[Happydays2024]

Are they still offering speciality dining specials on board? 

[drakes2]

4 hours ago, redjetz said:

Fine Cut just didn’t cut it with us on our recent Ascent cruise, so we will skip it going forward. The beef simply wasn’t good enough to warrant the cost. ditto the steak I ordered in Eden.

 

In fact, the beef in Lumiere was not good either. Celebrity must have a new beef supplier or new cooking methods or something. The food in general was good, just not the beef.

The prime rib in the MDR wasn't good either. I sent it back and ordered pasta. 

[drakes2]

3 hours ago, asctony said:

So, with all these opinions and experiences, who do you agree with? 

What will you do? 

I personally believe Celebrity is totally overpriced for their SRs.

Service & food is good. Not 4 star like it used to be. JMHO!

HAPPY CRUISING!

I happened to be walking past the Mast Grill last week on the Ascent 13 night TA. They were preparing all the veggies for the Magic Carpet dinner which I heard was overpriced at $129 per person. Seems you're paying more for the experience than the food. I could have done a better job at home of those grilled veggies which would be cold upon serving. 

[Tyler414]

IMO the filet at Rooftop is better than Fine Cut, every time for me.  I usually always go to Fine Cut because I love a filet, but will be doing another Rooftop instead on my next cruise.

[fliprcruiser]

19 minutes ago, Tyler414 said:

IMO the filet at Rooftop is better than Fine Cut, every time for me.  I usually always go to Fine Cut because I love a filet, but will be doing another Rooftop instead on my next cruise.

 

DW prefers rooftop filet over Fine Cut, so we will book Rooftop grill twice a cruise.

[cruisetonowhere10]

I had Fine Cut on Edge booked with some OBC and canceled it and am thinking I’ll do sea day lunch at Raw on 5 instead should the opportunity present itself. I just wasn’t getting the vibe it was a guaranteed win and since I’ve already paid for food in the MDRs I’m sticking with that.

[drakes2]

10 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I had Fine Cut on Edge booked with some OBC and canceled it and am thinking I’ll do sea day lunch at Raw on 5 instead should the opportunity present itself. I just wasn’t getting the vibe it was a guaranteed win and since I’ve already paid for food in the MDRs I’m sticking with that.

I had sushi for lunch at raw on 5 when I was on the beyond in March. Not impressed so skipped it on my Ascent cruise a couple weeks ago. I get better tasting sushi from my local grocery store with better presentation. Also, service was slow. 

[highway180]

1 hour ago, drakes2 said:

I had sushi for lunch at raw on 5 when I was on the beyond in March. Not impressed so skipped it on my Ascent cruise a couple weeks ago. I get better tasting sushi from my local grocery store with better presentation. Also, service was slow. 

We had 2 excellent meals @ Raw on 5 on our last cruise on the Ascent. was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the seafood, especially the raw oysters. Being from the northeast, and a frequent harvester of shellfish I am very picky.

 

My vote between Fine cut and roof top.....Roof top wins every time

Cheers

[Tyler414]

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I had sushi for lunch at raw on 5 when I was on the beyond in March. Not impressed so skipped it on my Ascent cruise a couple weeks ago. I get better tasting sushi from my local grocery store with better presentation. Also, service was slow. 

Tried Raw on 5 on Beyond in March, with my non sushi eating family members and it was excellent.  The non sushi eating family members couldn't get enough. 🥂