miataman19
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Posts posted by miataman19
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So let me get this straight. You pay a couple of hundred dollars per day for the cruise, which is supposed to include all meals, then you pay another $58 per day for specialty dining. What happened to 'all-inclusive' (excluding booze, of course). I get the feeling that Celebrity is well into nickle-and-diming us to death.Thank you for your reviews. We too had Arthur from the Ukraine just 2 weeks ago, and had such a good time that we came back the last night. We loved Qsine both for the ambiance and the food.
By the way Blu is wonderful, quite upscale, elegant and certainly not a "General Mess." It is one of the reasons we always book Aqua Class. The maitre d' knows us after the first night and always seats us at our preferred table. The food is excellent as is the service, and diners are not loud, but act as if they are used to dining out at fine restaurants. They put large parties on the other side of the room and that probably helps. Since there are a lot of diners requesting tables for 2 now, the tables are close together as they are at Qsine, and almost any restaurant in NY or LA or any larger city, but we usually make friends with our neighbors and have a good time. We also enjoy having breakfast at Blu when we have Sea Days or late shore excursions. We just got off Reflection April 6, and it Blu was never crowded at 7 or 7:30. I'm sorry others gave you the wrong impression of a really nice restaurant on Celebrity.
This was actually the first time we tried the Specialty Restaurants on any of our sailings. We don't do alot of shore excursion's so we decided, what the heck we'll give it a shot. The extra monies you pay are a little high but wanted to see what all the hubub was about with these restaurants. We're glad we did try them. With that said, we probably won't do the big package again. However we still might do 1 or 2 on our next sailing. As to Blu. Our cruise was a spring break cruise, so a full ship. Maybe thats why some of the folks I talked to said it was full or loud all the time. Your observations seem to me as very acurate. It did look like a very nice restaurant with a great menu as we did try to weasel are way into Blu one night :eek:, but to no avail. That Maitre D was not going to let us in :rolleyes:. Can't blame a guy for trying...lol
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gambee....like everyone else, thanks for the review :). Your review put me over the edge to book Silhouette for next year's spring break cruise. :D
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If I made reservations for the whole cruise on-line, I would be concerned that if the Package was unavailable and I decided to cancel those reservations, where would the money go. It is totally unacceptable to be returned to Seapass Account as if not spent would be lost. This must be regarded as a Sharp Practice by Celebrity.
mickey89, your concerns are very well taken. I did have the 5 dinner package originally. When I upgraded, those funds did get credited to my Seapass account. When I made all my reservations for the week with the Murano Maitre D I did ask about the amount of these packages that they sell. He told me I was the 6th that day. I did follow up 2 days later and was told they had sold a total of 16. We had a full ship. He did mention that they usually limit those sales to 30 and they must be purchased on the first day. Now as we know anything can change. I can just relay my experience with this package.
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Folks, how is this possible? The contract calls for two separate lunches, one in each restaurant. Here again is a link to the flyer, which makes this clear -- including on your Celebrity Reflection, "miataman19."
We will be on a different ship that has the same kind of arrangement, according to the flyer. We were told by phone (after dialing the specialty-dining number) that lunch would be offered two or three times during the cruise. If there is actually only one lunch in each SR, and on the same day, that would be a violation of the terms of the contract.
We have printed the flyer and will take it with us, in case we need to ask for a partial refund (the price of one lunch). We suggest that everyone else do the same.
Let me know if that works. I didn't even look at the wording in the flyer but you could have a case here.
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Re: The 3 Dinner Special, does it have to be in 3 different restaurants, or can it be Tuscan, Tuscan, Murano?
Hey BamaD...here is a flyer from Celebrity that tells you the restaurants that THEY pick for you when you purchase the 3, 4 and 5 dinner packages. The only way YOU can pick the restaurants is if you purchase the Ultimate Specialty Dinning Package at $29 pp per day. $406 for 2 for 7 days. This can only be purchased on the ship.
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Hi Miataman - Enjoyed reading your views on the Ultimate Dining package, have a question........
For example "Will they accept a reservation for the Murano Restaurant for every night at 8pm when you pay?"
Like I said in the review, I had no trouble getting the times I wanted. However, I did go straight to Murano as soon as I got on the ship. It still is a crap shoot with times, restaurants and days that you want. We had a full ship and the times I requested 6:00 or 6:30 didn't seem to be very popular with the rest of my shipmates :eek: so I got what I wanted. Now an 8pm slot might be an issue. My advice is if you really want that time slot and you can do it, just have your TA or go to the Celebrity website and book Murano for 8pm for the whole week (if it is available). Or call Celebrity, they have folks that just handle Specialty Dinning. Then when you get on the ship go to Murano and upgrade to the Ultimate package and they will credit your onboard account the amoumt you paid for the reservations you made prior to boarding. And you get to keep your times from those reservations. Hope that helped..:)
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Is it true that the Murano lunch and the Tuscan lunch are on the same day? so you have to choose between the two?
Yes. Both offered on Friday. The last sea day...
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Hi Miataman...glad to see you survived the food and alcohol fest. We had a fine time with the both of you at the Molecular Bar, and almost died from terminal laughter after Elena and husband joined in. Hope to see you again soon.
Almost got thru the whole menu. Missed it by 2 or 3...Too many other bars and restaurants to try...Nice to hear from you.
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Have purchased the premium drink package and not sure if it is just for bars or can you order in specialty restaurants?
Just a heads up to all. I did order 3 bottles of wine while onboard (special occasion.) If you have the Premium Alcohol Package make sure you ask for your 30% discount on those bottles you puchase. I had the premium and forgot about the discount until I checked my account on the last sea day. Went down to Guest Services and they knew nothing about the discount :eek: (go figure.) The lady had to call someone in F&B to verify that I got a discount, which was deducted from my account.
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SHIP: Celebrity Reflection
CABIN #: 1222
DECK #: 10
CLASS: C-1
AREA: Aft
BED NEAR: Balcony
QUIET?: Yes, Only a couple of mornings when our neighbor had the grandkids visiting the stateroom.
BALCONY VIEW: View of the wake. This stateroom is almost right in the center of the aft balcony rooms.
BALCONY SIZE: About 5 ft. wider than the other C-1 balconies because of the cabin steward storage closet next to the room. There are 7 aft balconies with this extra space.
WIND A PROBLEM?: No
SOOT A PROBLEM?: Only on the port days did we see any soot. On sea days it was not an issue.
PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: Wonderful room. Loved the ship!
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I beleive it is available on all ships. Here is a link to a flyer
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Forgot to mention that The Reflection got a surprise health dept. inspection on embarkation day 3/23/2013. It did delay some of the restaurants opening however, she did receive a 100%. :eek: Awesome job to the entire food and beverage staff !!!!! :D
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Hi Gambee and Mom...Just got off Reflection and am looking at Silhouette for our next cruise. Can't wait to hear and see your review. :)
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Okay everyone, I'll do my best to give you the info on the package. Just got off Reflection. In a nutshell, you pay $29 per person per day. This gets you unlimited dinners at any specialty restaurant. We chose 2 at Murano, 2 at Qsine, 2 at Tuscan Grill and 1 at Lawn Club Grill. You can mix that up to any number of times at any restaurant. If you want to eat all 7 nights at Murano you can. You also get unlimited breakfast, lunch or dinner at Bistro on 5 and The Porch (The Porch was great, more later,) access to the Champagne High Tea in Murano, and lunch on the final sea day in either Murano or Tuscan Grill (sorry didn't get a pic of those menus.) We chose Murano for the lunch. Here is the kicker, you can only get this package on the ship on the first day. When we got onboard at around 11:45 a.m., I went straight to Murano to make my reservations. That's the other kicker, no pre-cruise reservations for this package. With that said, we had a FULL ship during spring break, yet I was able to get EVERY reservation time I wanted on every day. I do have to say I was a little stressed about getting the times I wanted, but making a beeline for Murano helped! Staight from Murano for reservations, we went up to The Porch to get some lunch ($5 cover without our package,) There were 2 other tables and us. No crazy mob scene like at Ocean View. The Porch has a great panini menu (breakfast and lunch paninis,) as well as some great salads. They also offer a nice wine list and regular beverages (we had the premium alcohol package.) Dinner that night was at Tuscan Grill. A table for 2 by the window for sunset: Awesome. Service from Sasha was perfect (she also serves at The Porch during lunch). Start to finish the food was great, only issue I had was the Rib eye was very thin, the pic you see of the rib eye on Celebrity's website is not accurate. Day 2 breakfast/lunch at Bistro on 5, a crepe restaurant. They have a nice selection of salads, beverages and wine. Service and food were great from start to finish. Oh, BTW, it was just us initially, then 1 other table the entire time we were in the restaurant. I guess that $5 cover charge was too much for some folks...LOL. Dinner at Murano (formal night). Don't know what else to say except INCREDIBLE!!! Imagine the best 5 star restaurant you've eaten at. This is Murano, I'll say the best restaurant at sea, bar none. Did not get any of the waiters names because it seemed like the entire staff was taking care of every table--just fantastic! We ate breakfast and lunch at The Porch and Bistro on 5 the entire cruise, except for debarkation day. Then we ate at The Oceanview Cafe, which had a very nice selection and presentation for that last day. The Lawn Club Grill is basically what it says: a grill. Good selection of meat and fish which you can pick out yourself and cook if you wish. I chose not to! The flatbread pizzas are very good. They have a salad bar which has limited offerings but is fresh and well maintained. The steaks here are a nice size, I got a Filet (cooked perfectly) and a side of Red Snapper (very moist and tender). Service from Oscar was perfect (Oscar also works lunch at The Porch). Qsine the following night. This place is a nice change from any restaurant where I've eaten. The food is very good, however the dining experience within Qsine focuses on the presentation-- ESPECIALLY if you have Arthur as your waiter. :D He made the entire evening fun and enjoyable. Becasue we were Concierge Class, we were not allowed to eat in Blu :mad:...LOL . I was told by some folks it was good, but always crowded and noise level was very high. Sort of like General Mess as you Navy folks mentioned! I'll leave the ship review to someone else. All in all a fantastic cruise for a Foodie and Winey like me! Any questions on the package just give a shout back and I'll try to answer them in a timely manner. As they say in Murano while lifting the cover to reveal your entree...VOILA!!!..Bon Appetit! :)
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Nope, I have never seen anyone buy or sell a cigar at that bar
(or any other bar).
Thanks Lois R...I'm off to the store.. :D
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OK, I know that you can smoke cigars portside at the Sunset bar. Do they sell cigars at that bar? Sailing in 6 days and if they don't I'll need to make a trip my cigar store to stock up. 1st trip with Celebrity
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Don't know why but it's not letting you change the prices if you open it. You can change prices if you save to your desktop. Still trying to figure that out :confused:
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Here is a spreadsheet that will give you a ballpark figure to see if the package is worth the money. You can put in the prices. Its pretty user freindly. Got it from another CC forum member. :)
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Booked C-1 #1222 on Reflection. Leave in 9 days. From pictures I've seen this cabin has a larger balcony. Now, is the soot issue a big problem :confused:? I've been hearing yes and no depending on the wind. My first cruise with Celebrity and 2nd ever for my lady. I hope I made the right choice.
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Pulled this from another post. cruiseguys2009. I also bought the 5 day package and an additional QSine dinner so the extra fee for me is only around $50 so I'm jumpimg on the Ultimate.
If you call Celebrity directly, and once connected, ask the agent that you would like to speak with the Special Guest Services Rep, and they will assist you in planning the Ultimate Dining Package.
The Ultimate Dining Package is Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Special Event and Special Brunch/Night Dining in all of the Specialty Venues throughout your cruise. It's and All-In package. We found out about it on a review and then I called directly. We are planning on booking it immediately when we get on board. By the way, it is only available for purchase once on board, according to the Celebrity Newsletter.
• "Ultimate Specialty Package," which can be purchased only onboard, and features unlimited dinners in specialty restaurants of guests' choice, at least one specialty restaurant lunch, one admission to "Champagne High Tea," and unlimited breakfasts, lunches and dinners in "Bistro on Five" and, on Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Silhouette, also at "The Porch"
The cost is $29.00 per day, per person, plus gratuity, or about $420 total for each 7 day period.
I asked about "Sold Out" status in restaurants we would like to eat in and the program is limited for each sailing and only about 30 packages are sold. I was told that the Specialty restaurants set aside a certain number of places each night for those with the Ultimate Packages.
So basically, you can eat in all of the Specialty Restaurants, for the entire journey for one package price, including the Bistro on 5 and The Porch for lunch. Where ever there is a charge to eat, it's included. Having never sailed on Celebrity before and this is our upcoming first cruise on the Reflection, we felt the package was a great introduction to all the wonderful dining opportunities available to us.
My representative told me that on our first night, the ship assigns your first specialty dining restaurant reservation, but at your preferred time. After that, you then make your own reservations for dinner, brunch, events, etc on your own.
Every restaurant is available to Package participants, so you are not supposed to be "stuck" with reservations at 9 PM if you would like 7 PM. We are flexible and enjoy later dining times anyway.
I am anxious to hear from someone who has already used the package as well, to see if there were any glitches to the program. We are on the Reflection in 55 days....Whooo Hoo! Can't wait!
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Anyone know who will be the new captain on the Reflection?
Thank you.
The scuttlebut is that Captain Apostolos Bouzakis is the new master of Reflection. Not 100% on this just heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend who heard it from another you were messing around...sorry about that just got carried away , radio playing in the background....lol :rolleyes:
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The wine package is a pre purchase of a fixed number of bottles from a limited selection of similarly priced wine. Depending on which wines you choose it offers either a modest discount or no discount at all. I'm not sure if you can select the actual wines before boarding or not.
You have two other options: the Bon voyage "gift" selection mentioned by Chooze2cruz; or just wait until you are on board and order from room service. The advantage to the later option is that you can choose the the much larger, and more varied, wine lists offered on board.
Also, remember that you can bring on two bottles of wine with you on embarkation day to enjoy in your stateroom. You can also take one of these to the dining room but if you do there is a $25/bottle fee. There is no such fee for in cabin consumption.
Hi Larry, This will be my 45th cruise but my first with Celebrity. All cruise lines have a corkage fee. However, my last 10 or so cruises I've taken I would open the bottle in my cabin pour the wife and I a small amount in each glass and head on over to the dinning room. I would put the already opened bottle on the table along with the 2 glasses and have never been charged a fee. Do you think this would work on The Celebrity Reflection? :rolleyes:
Ultimate Specialty Dining Package Review
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
Just_Looking got it right. The SS United States menu is Murano's menu to a tee. I'm sure Infinity's staff is just as detail oriented and professional as Murano's was on Reflection. I'm having flashbacks of the food and service we received at Murano:D. Bon Appetit :)