W283386

I am just off the Celebrity Reflection and here is my review of the food.

I ate dinner at two of the specialty restaurants Lawn Club and Tuscan), 4 times in the main dining room, and one time at the buffet. All the meals were served at a decent temperature and all the wait staff were commendable.

I feel like my top two meals came from the MDR. The beef wellington and the steak and chips with Bearnaise sauce were really tasty. Each came with 3 or 4 good size carrots as well as 4 stalks of asparagus as well as roasted potato.

I would rate the Lawn club meal as #3. I had the rib eye as well as the chicken skewers. The baked beans were not to my liking and it is hard to mess up a baked potato. I think that eating in that location maybe heightened the meal a little, but it did get very warm up on the open deck. 

The #4 meal was also from the MDR. The oven roasted chicken saltimboca was very good.

The #5 meal was the Tuscan Grille. The steak was flavorful and choice and quality of the appetizers were excellent. We ordered to much and did not have any room for dessert.

The #6 meal was the buffet. Good choices but we had plans to go to the 7pm show so wanted something quick and easy.

The #7 was the MDR. The sirloin was a little dry and it was the first time I used steak sauce all week.

All breakfast and lunches (except for one) were from the buffet. The items were served warm to hot and the choices were many. The pizza and pasta bar were both good and many days the items would change. Some of the highlights were the fried chicken and  bbq ribs (both went fast). I think the ribs were served once but the fried chicken was available at least twice. Besides the omelet station there was also a station for eggs benedict.  

The burger and fries from the mast grille were good and we would have gone there more, but there was always a line, and it was to hot to sit on deck, and too hard to carry plates to the buffet area.

We did not go to Sushi on Five or the Porch. Both were pretty empty most of the time.  I have no idea how busy the Petit Chef was. 

So overall I would have to rate the food a solid 7.  We have been on 24 cruises, on 4 different cruise lines, and this was only the second time we tried a specialty restaurant. The specialty restaurants were quieter and the tables further apart than the MDR. The Lawn Club was unique with its outside location. However, I feel that the additional cost on top of what you already paid for the MDR was really not worth the extra money.

We will be on the Reflection next week.  We have not had breakfast or lunch on a ship in many years.  I remember in the past you were seated as you entered 

the dining room at a table with others.  That table would be filled up and then the next table would be used until full, etc.  Is that how it works now or are you able to request your own table?  Thanks.

Is the daily schedule of events still provided in printed form as well as the menus?  Or do you have the inconvenience of having to haul your phone around with you?

Highlights

• It's the perfect escape - within your vacation escape. Some of the pleasures include:
• Stunning side-by-side views of lawn and sea, as you settle in underneath the shade of a chic, white awning.
• Complimentary amenities - four bottles of water, a fresh fruit plate, hand-held fans, and chilled towels.
• Ambient mood lighting for romantically cozy evenings.
• Smart Casual means you look comfortable yet tasteful in a dress, skirt, long pants or jeans, and stylish top or button-down. No shorts, bathing suits, or cover-ups

More website errors.  Nothing like relaxing on deck wearing long pants or jeans.

Here is a link to the story.

https://youtu.be/spi7RxhK1gI

Celebrity is removing dedicated butlers from Sky Suites.  You will now have to call a retreat hotline on board for any service needs.  Many Butlers have already been let go from the cruise line this weekend.  No extra comp or notices will be released as to this situation.http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/spi7RxhK1gI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I do not believe that any cuts have been mentioned yet.  But with Celebrity having some of the highest price specialty dining. what changes would keep you from booking a specialty restaurant in the future (ie: one item per course limit, lower quality items, higher cost, poorer service, etc)?

Any thoughts on the new MDR menu that now allow puchases of lobster ($16.99), Filet Mignon ($19.99) or surf and turf for $34.99).  It is being tried on the Sillohoutte and probably rolled out to other ships.  Link should start about two minutes into video.

We will be going on our 20th cruise this year.  We have never done any type of specialty dining.  We will be on the Reflection, and I noticed some first night dining discounts.  We live in a resort town and when we go to dinner there are always discounts for locals and it is rare if we ever spend more than $35 for the two of us.  The thought of paying $80 for us to eat a meal when we already have paid to eat in the main dining room, or the buffet, is my stumbling block.

My question is, "Will I be able to enjoy the meal if I already have this mental block in my head?  For that kind of money, I would expect one of the best meals of my life. The last two cruises we were in Luminae and Blu. The service and the atmosphere stood out more than the food.  The food was great, but I thought I would have been just as happy with the food from the dining room. 

So, with that background in mind, should we choose Muranos, Lawn Club Grille, Tuscany or just skip all of them?

Does anyone remember if drink package upgrade specials on Black Friday were greater than the current 10% off sale that is showing in my cruise planner?

Not new items.  I ordered the Sea Bass in April and my wife had the crab cake.  No charges applied or listed.  Was one of the reasons we booked the retreat because of the nice room service menu. 

Not only has specialty restaurant charges gone up 18% but there are now room service charges on some items that were once complimentary.

Crab cakes are now $11and Heirloom Salad is $10. Ribeye Steak, Sea Bass and Filet Mignon are now $20.  Looks like still no charges for breakfast items.

All items are listed on the Celebrity App under Room Servi.

We were in suite number 6100.  Used the glass elevators all the time.

We booked this cruise in December of 2019.  We paid only $825 per person for the sky suite which included the premium drink package, tips, premium internet, as well as $400 shipboard credit.  Needless to say, this was a fantastic deal. We also added the Drinks and More package ($90), prepaid for Deal or No Deal cards (3 for $32.00) and ordered chocolate covered strawberries (12 for $30) through the Bon Voyage Gift Department. 

We arrived at the pier in Miami at 10:15am.  We walked across the street from the parking garage and a porter took our large suitcase that we wanted to have checked.  He noticed our Suite tag, called someone else over, who I believe was a pier employee, and that person took as into the terminal.   He handed us off to a Celebrity uniformed employee and he took us all the way to a special lounge with having to stop twice to show our passports and negative Covid test.  We never had to show our vaccine cards but did download them during our precheck in on-line.  Once in the lounge we grabbed a small sandwich as well as a Coke and found out that there were only to be 846 passengers aboard.  After just two bites and two sips the same person that walked us through the terminal said it was time to board.  He took us to the gangway, we walked on board and to our room.  It 10:50 am. 

We checked out the suite and the welcome bottle of sparkling wine as well as the four bottles of wine that were included in our Drinks and More Package had been delivered as well as an invitation to a wine tasting. We then went to check out the Retreat Lounge and it is a very nice space.  We then went to the Martini Bar and then to Luminae at noon for our first meal.  I had a steak and my wife had the Luminae Burger.  I had a bite of the hamburger and it was fantastic.   I ordered it twice more during the week.  We went back to the room and the suitcase arrived and we unpacked and met our room attendant and our Retreat Host.  We also had received an invitation to a sail-away party on the helicopter pad at the front of the ship. 

We met in the Retreat Lounge at 3:45 and were led to the heliport for the sail away.  Drinks were offered on the pad.  Having watch the Miami sail-away a few times on You-Tube I knew it was 45 minutes from rope drop until actually getting to the open ocean.  We did not plan to stay for the entire time, but it was so enjoyable with the fantastic view of the city, the other cruise ships and the big yachts, that we decide to stay.  One guest arrived late without a shirt (but the required closed toe shoes) and two others decide to spend half of the time laying down on the deck.  It was now 5pm and time to clean up for dinner. We went back to the room and still no strawberries.  I decided that I would mention it tomorrow to the Host or Concierge. 

We went to Luminae and met our waiter (Yuda) and his assistant.  Two good guys and we decided to use them for the entire week.  We used Luminae 4 times for dinner, 2 times for breakfast and lunch.  One day we had lunch on the Retreat Sundeck.  Dinner was fantastic and we returned to our stateroom to find that the strawberries had been delivered.  We had a couple and we had brought a small tupperware container long and place the rest in the mini fridge.

The Drinks and More package is no longer being offered.  We paid $90 for the 4 bottles of wine, a wine tasting and $100 in casino tips.  The mini-bar was suppose to be stocked daily and included 4 cans of coke, 2 airline size bottles of vodka, 2 Heinekens and two bottles of wine as well as Evian water. Pringles and Kind bars were also to be included.  They never were and we never requested them.   The wine tasting was actually an event that taught us how to pair wines with different food. It was attended by around 20 passengers and I believe the cost was $30 per person but was included in our package.  We had 5 wines to drink and each had about 1/2 a glass pour.  We could request more if we wished.  The $90 of promotional chips became $155 of regular chips at the blackjack table. So overall money well spent and some of the wine made it back to our home.

We skipped the show in the main theatre that night.  A female singer performed but we were exhausted from traveling and used our balcony before bed.  For those of you interest the TV channels included 4 Celebrity specific channels that covered ship highlights, shore excursions, navigation, etc. as well as 3 news channels.   There was also a Kids channel, ESPN and ESPN 2, BBC, and 3 channels that included older movies, sitcoms, and dramas.  The pay-per-view channel was free and some of the films were Cry Macho, the newest Ghostbuster and James Bond movies as well as King Richard.  I would say probably 10 choices overall.

Masks were mandatory in the terminal and optional on board.  Employees had them on (except for outdoor bars) and I probably saw no more than 10 passengers wearing them. With only 845 passengers social distancing was easy and I would say we rode the elevators empty probably 90% of the time.  We never saw more than 4 or 5 passengers in the Retreat Lounge at one time and you could walk into the main theater at show time and get a seat by yourself on the side.  They did have two shows per night in the theater at 7pm and 9pm.

Any questions so far.  I will cover the rest of the cruise in the next few days.  

I will be on the Summit soon and in a Sky Suite.   When ordering room service do I use the Retreat Host, the interactive TV, the phone, or the door hanger?  Probably planning one dinner and one breakfast.  Also, is room service busier on sea days or port days?  I assume if it is delivered by someone other than the Host that you tip him or her right away. If delivered by the host just leave an additional tip upon disembarkation.

The daily event planner has just populated into my Celebrity App.  I am excited about the St Patricks Day party on April 14th as well as the various days that the NCAA tournament will be shown on the TV in the casino bar.  My cruise is April 11th. 

We had our first suite ever and it was on a Princess ship.  I took a shower the first night and noticed a cord hanging down.  At first I thought it might have been a clothesline that had not retracted but it was not long enough to reach the length of the tub.  So I turned on the water and started my shower. I was trying to get the water temperature just right and for some reason I pulled the rope and it seemed like the water got hotter.  I pulled it a few more times and I swear the water temperature increased again.  Then my wife entered the bathroom and asked if I was ok.  I asked her why and she said the purser desk called and they wanted her to check to see if I was all right. The cord that I was pulling was causing  an alarm to go off at the purser desk.  There was no info anywhere in the bathroom about the cord being for emergency use only.  The next day maintenance placed a decal in the shower.

I have been watching the Summit leave Miami for the past few weeks and noticed that there are passengers on the helicopter pad.  Is this open to everyone or is it an invitation only event.  I have only been on 5 Celebrity sailings but I am in a sky suite.   Any chance of attending?

Why spend extra money to eat in a specialty restaurant when you already paid to eat in Blu which is already a specialty restaurant.  I am amazed at the number of blu and aqua cruisers that waste money by paying to eat in a specialty restaurant.  I realize that the majority do so in order to impress others but both Blu and Luminae will bend over backwards to get you what you want.

Is the complimentary welcome aboard champagne still being served?  

On the bottom of my Xpress Pass I have the code PALL.  It has been 4 years since I have been on Celebrity but I believe the code is for Premium Beverage Package.  Is that Correct?  I booked 29 moths ago (before AI) and just want to make sure everything is correct. 

I am always amazed when people rave about hamburgers as I find most non fast food hamburgers very similar.  However, there seems to be a consensus that the Luminae Burger is fantastic.  Why is it so good?  Also, for those of you that have had a Guys burger on Carnival which do you think is better?

A lot has been posted about checking in for a suite in Ft Lauderdale but not Miami.  Is there also a special entrance and lounge?  Can you board at anytime?

My cruise planner shows an offer of 20% off the basic digital photo package. As usual the Celebrity website does not explain the product in detail.  The price is now $40 dollars and I seem to remember paying $25 or $30 on our last cruise just for one photo as we were getting off the ship in some port.  So, if you get just two photos it seems it could be worth it.  I understand you do not get hard copies of the photos and just a link to a website.  Are you able to use those pictures to get copies made through a photo place or are they only good to view on-line?  I have some OBC to use and thought this might be worth it.  However, on a five-day cruise, I am not sure of how many photo opportunities there are.  Any feedback.

Why would you walk into a restaurant five minutes before closing?  Are you able to finish your meal in just five minutes?  I am sure the staff would love to finish up for the night and not hang around for stragglers that have had 3  hours to get there.