Kevnzworld

Today's Luminae review is mixed, some good and some less so.

Two nights ago we had the lobster and the Chateaubriand. The lobster is the standard Celebrity warm water variety. It needs to be noted that the other luxury lines use cold water Maine lobster in the nicer restaurants, the warm water slipper variety only in the buffet grill.

The lobster as it is, was ok.

The Chateaubriand was ordered medium rare but was served well done. Our wonderful waitress Dragana worked to replace it ASAP.

( She's a fantastic server, the right mix of attitude , friendliness and efficiency )

Unfortunately the rest of the table was half finished with their entree's by the time the corrected chateaubriand was served. Once it was, I was told that it was really good. A nice cut with good flavor.

Ok, now last night. I ordered the five spice duck and my GF the swordfish. My duck was nicely cooked and flavorful. The fat/ skin could have been rendered more, but that technique isn't utilized on Celebrity as it should. ( Murano, Blu, etc ).

The swordfish was really bad. I don't get it. Swordfish should be cut and seared/grilled like a steak. 1/2-1" thick, medium at most to preserve some juiciness.

This swordfish was cut 1/8 inch thick then cooked well. Inedible.

It was shoe leather. It was like an overcooked pork cutlet. That thickness of fish steak is almost impossible to cook correctly. This is basic technique 101. How that could be served as it was escapes me.

This is one dish that needs a recipe/ cooking change pronto.

Luminae serves two Amuse Bouches. One prior to dinner and one after dinner. These are pretty inventive and add to the overall dining experience. The duck liver mouse especially stands out.

The soups also deserve mention. They aren't cream based, prepared velouté style instead. I've had probably four or five so far and all have been excellent.

So far most of the dishes have been excellent with just a few misfires. Service in Luminae remains flawless.

At the end of the cruise next week I'll sum up my thoughts and review.

If they fudge on the hours, go to the F&W manager, ask for him/her at guest relations. They can change them if passengers demand it.

Today, a port day, still had six tables eating at 9:30 am

Thank you for your reviews. We are in total agreement as my posted review of the Silhouette Baltic states. We loved Luminae and the service is beyond compare. They have been VERY well trained. Our only comment is to use Anca, the Concierge in Michael's Club if you want to get premium tender service. She was incredible and will do anything to keep her Suite guests happy. She will personally walk you down to get through the tender line. If you are still on board, enjoy the rest of your cruise. We are only sorry that we could not do a B2B and be there with you

We aren't in a premium suite on this cruise so we can't use Anca though we have used her in the past during our 10/14 cruise.

Any butler can get you thru the tender line, a suite service that was especially useful during the Edinburgh port. The tender lines were over an hour long all morning.

I'm sitting at breakfast now in Luminae. It's somewhat more limited than Blu but more than adequate. I had granola and berries followed by their version of huevos rancheros. They have a nice pastry collection too.

The port day hours have been extended on Silohuette until 9 am so you don't have to rush in the AM to meet an early breakfast deadline. ( absurd )

Re : Questions regarding Luminae/Seabourn etc.

Luminae is definitely a game changer and well worth the money compared to Blu. No or little comparison.

Seabourn is really outstanding and has a much better lunch. It's ships are smaller so they can go to ports that Celebrity can't. I would now prefer Celebrity for transatlantics.

I dislike Oceania anywhere, anytime. Celebrity has more action at night and we are looking forward to the new World Class bar with craft cocktails.

Here's my update on day six:

The food continues to be good....for the most part. Last night was our least favorite dinner. I had " grilled barramundi ". It didn't have grill flavor or grill marks, which by the way some of the proteins have had, surprisingly. The problem for me was it was bland. Needed a flavor. Lemon buerre blanc, or whatever it was wasn't good. The fava bean pesto was the highlight. My GF's sirloin with gelee and peppercorn sauce had flavor, and was cooked correctly, it was just a poor cut of beef.

We had lunch again today, one of the three limited lunch menus. They get old quickly. We went upstairs to Oceanview afterwards to eat a little something different, maybe a salad. We were confronted with the usual noxious Buffet pandemonium. No where to sit, holding a place while the other person gets food then switching. Your food's cold by the time you sit. Loud people everywhere, dirty dishes etcetera .

Luminae is definitely a welcome place to eat a civilized lunch, I really hope they expand the lunch menus. I noticed that two of the items are from Bistro on five ( Tuna nicoise sandwich ). I've ordered it twice, once it came on toasted bread ( nice ). The other time they served it on a roll ? Hmm

Lastly we met the chef Ezekial last night. A black scarved chef that definitely executes the menu perfectly. Whatever small problems we've had were recipe/ingredient issues, not execution.

The service continues to be absolutely impeccable. There is a level of service, discipline and training in Luminae that doesn't exist anywhere on the ship other than possibly Murano. Unlike Murano, Luminae's food is more complex, really good and modern

The food continues to be great. The breakfast hours are now permanently open until 9 am on port days, which is good considering that today at 9 there were still six tables eating even though they tried unsuccessfully to close it down at 8:30. The hours in Luminae will be a topic of a new/ different thread.

We finally were able to go ashore via tender because weather permitted. There was an hour tender wait at 10 am , so we engaged our butler to get us on the tender without a wait. Motto, use your butler...That's what you're paying for !

Ok, back to Luminae.

Tonight we had the seared tuna and the duck Bolognese. Both great. As was the grilled octopus appetizer . The service continues to be outstanding..

The only real food disappointment so far is the french fries at lunch. Soggy, and terrible. Someone needs to school them on the value of crisp hot flavorful french fry preparation.

Luminae is a Celebrity game changer for me, my skepticism is changing. I'm becoming a believer. Bad news Seabourn ....

Thanks for your feedback. I have read your scepticism until now and appreciate your comments.

 

May I suggest that you speak to the Luminae sommelier again about wines by the glass. We were told, on Millennium, that provided a wine was available by the glass anywhere on the ship, we could have it in Luminae. Once we were happy with a wine [actually the first he brought us - from Cellar Masters], he ensure that there was sufficient kept aside to last us the rest of the cruise. [We were on a transpacific cruise with little, if any, opportunity to restock during our 17-night cruise.]

 

I was interested in your comments on the risotto. Have you eaten risotto on a Celebrity ship previously? I have always found it extremely disappointing and avoided trying it in Luminae. As risotto is a personal favourite, I would be interested to hear if it is correctly cooked in Luminae.

The wine by the glass list in Luminae is quite extensive actually. I was referring to what is available at the Passport bar on third, and other bars. We have not ordered any cocktails at dinner, the wine service is much more timely than Blu or the MDR. Everything is done in the correct order, water, wine/ cocktail, bread then the food order...( unlike Blu )

Today we had the butternut squash risotto at lunch, also pretty good. Risotto is quite tricky and difficult to prepare in advance without it getting mushy or gluey.

The two we had so far were quite good, the rice being slightly al dente.

Today I had the fried chicken and waffles, ok...not great. Two in our group got the duck confit club sandwich ...amazingly good. This is definitely not typical Celebrity fare.

Lunch was served until 1:30 but there were still eight tables eating at 2:15.

First, who I am. I began sailing a decade ago on Regent. I was introduced to Celebrity by a friend in 2011. I first sailed on the Infinity post solsticization in January 2012 and loved it. The price for an AQ cabin was $3000 for a two week South American cruise. This was 1/4 of what a cabin on Regent sold for. The ship was modern and Blu was good...for the price.

I've since sailed on Celebrity at least a dozen times. I've watched as the prices have risen,while in many areas there have been cutbacks and declines. Having migrated to sailing in suites I've begun to sail on other comparably priced cruiselines like Seabourn and Oceania.

I was interested in the rollout of the new Suite class on Celebrity and of course it's signature restaurant Luminae. I've watched with skepticism as the evolution of concept became reality, as lunch turned into brunch and locally sourced offerings turned into a fleet wide set menu. So here we are, on the Silhouette, trying out Luminae. Here are my observations of Luminae and the ship/ cruise as I see it, in real time.

My first impressions were mixed. The boarding process was a long one, given that we boarded in Amsterdam but were sailing in the British isles. Two immigration lines added to the delays. Once onboard our first question was where is Luminae and is it open for lunch. We were told it wasn't, so we disappointedly ate in Oceanview. We later toured Luminae and found out that indeed it was open for lunch on embarkation day....well. The room is really beautiful and tastefully appointed. The pictures I've seen online don't do it justice. The tables aren't pushed together like Blu. It's much more roomy, more like a real restaurant. Our first dinner was pretty good. We had the duck, and the turbot. Both were prepared properly. I should note that the pecan crusted duck breast in Blu is one of the worst dishes I've ever had at sea, and the duck in Murano is often chewy and the fat isn't rendered properly. I ordered the duck medium rare, and sliced. Almost perfect.

The next morning we couldn't make the 8:30 am breakfast cutoff time ( port day schedule ), so we had to eat in Oceanview. It was packed, no berries and my salmon eggs Benedict was inedible. I was upset that the hours for both Blu and Luminae ended at what I considered to be an absurdly early hour (8:30 ). Not everyone is up at 7:30am or take the ship excursions in every port. It's a vacation, sometimes we like to just get off the ship and walk into town at a leisurely pace, we shouldn't have to get up and out to breakfast by 8:30 IMO . The competing cruiselines in the Suite class category offer a civilized breakfast until 10 am, every day.

I guess I wasn't alone in that sentiment.

I decided to speak to the F&W director later that evening to register my complaint and feelings hoping that if others felt the same way the opinions would make their way to Miami.

The director, Zephyr was both pleasant and courteous. He listened intently while I spun my tale of breakfast hour woe. Surprisingly, he responded OK, " I'll change the hours to end at 9:00. As long as the galley is open there is no reason that diners should be turned away from breakfast. ". I thanked him, and I have to admit, I was surprised that he could or would act so decisively. Kudos to Celebrity. On that subject, today was the next port day breakfast. The place was full, 12 tables.....at 9:15 . The other Suite passengers obviously appreciated the opportunity to dine at a somewhat later hour.

Lunch yesterday was pretty good, We had the truffle and mushroom risotto, the tuna nicoise sandwich and the trout. The burrata and tomato salad was also good. Lunch by the way is now open until 1:30, but is still occupied well after 2:00.

Last nights dinner was exceptionally good. I had the Zatar crusted chicken breast. It was juicy and flavorful, unlike that like I've ever experienced on a Celebrity. The dessert, hazelnut cake with peppermint gelato was one of the best desserts I've eaten. ANYWHERE.

The dessert pastry cart is beautiful as well.

I should also add that the service is near perfect. The entire staff from the Maître d / manager ( Frezi ) to the entire wait staff executes the dining experience near flawlessly. What a huge difference from the disorganized semi pandemonium that we've experienced so many times in Blu, let alone the MDR where it seems that sometimes they literally throw the food , bread and water at you...in nor particular order.

Other observations. The wine by the glass selections are deteriorating in quality. More and more the Celebrity private label selections are taking over. Our favorite red wine, Kendall Jackson reserve Pinot noir is now available only in restaurants by the glass. Fortunately, and again to the credit of the bar staff, it is being made available to us by the glass in the Passport bar. The staff on the Silhouette overall is excellent so far. We ate at the Lawn Grill two nights ago, it was great as always, the wait and other staff both accommodating and efficient.

So we are in the third day of a twelve day cruise, unfortunately poor weather won't allow us to tender into Edinburgh today, so today is now a sea day. I would be happy to answer any questions, though my free 240 minute internet package may limit my ability to do so until I'm land based again. The service is slow, and pages take forever to load....more later!

Guess you have to go and sail on the old Azamara ships to find out. That they still allow smoking on balconies on Seabourn is a deal breaker for me. I've friends who have cruised them and love them, but for different reasons to Azamara.

 

Phil

I've never had a problem with a balcony smoker....I'm sure someone has though.

I can't try Azamara because of the tiny cabin size. Let alone the shower curtains etc. the suites make it too expensive.

For the same approximate price for a 185 sq ft Azamara cabin I can sail in a 300 sq ft cabin on Celebrity or Seabourn, 250 sq ft on Oceania.

It makes a big difference...and..the ships are new and modern.

I've never sailed on Azamara because the ships are old and the cabins are small. For roughly the same amount of money one can sail in a 300 sq ft suite on a new Celebrity ship, or on Seabourn. Seabourn sails new ships with cabins that are 300 sq ft, not 185 like Azamara.. And it's ships have 400 passengers and visit similar smaller ports.

So why Azamara given the alternatives?

I think the current setup is fair. You essentially have a choice, book early and lock in a cabin and a fare, or wait until the last minute and hope for a deal.

I've done both. My two upcoming cruises are currently sold out. If there is a cruise I really want to go on, I won't wait. Sometimes I look at the last minute deals and pick one off at a moments notice.

The problem with waiting for the deal is airfare, especially if you use miles and prefer to fly business. It's also good to be able to do advance planning.

We all know how it works and we work it to whatever we see as to our advantage.

I stopped sailing on Regent in 2011 after 5-6 cruises. Why? The all inclusive excursions turned port days into pandemonium, especially when tendering. The food quality had declined over the five years I sailed on a Regent as the three ships continued to age. They have to be almost 15 years old now. Maybe more.

Lastly, the clientele was a little too old for me...though now I'm somewhat older haha.

Good point! I hadn't even thought about that until you mentioned it.

Additionally, Bistro on 5 offers a much more extensive menu than Luminae.

 

Ya, and for how much, $10 per meal? ( re : Bistro on five open all day )

As others have said, given Blu lunch is the real issue. And or a later breakfast / brunch.

There are already a lot of dinner options.

Lunch should be offered during normal, not limited hours. It should offer different daily specials. Those that paid for suites shouldn't have to contort their schedules to accommodate limited dining times.

The leave Bistro on 5 open pretty much all day, and it's often empty. There's no reason why they couldn't do something similar in Luminae

I like this quote from Travel Weekly. Quoting a Celebrity exec who was a little too honest

" “We needed to completely change what’s going on,” Ritzethaler told Tolkin. “Our guiding principles were to give consumers ultimate choice, raise APDs (average per diems) and make it easy.”"

Note the raise APD's....ie the amount per day, per passenger total expenditure.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-Cruises-to-go-exclusively-with-bundle-pricing#.VZqpb0bD79U.email

The MDR, and most Celebrity restaurants are best with anything slow cooked, stewed, braised or roasted. Anything made to order ala minute is problematic.

Stick with soups, casseroles , and the above..

Ouch!

 

http://nypost.com/2015/07/02/overpriced-per-se%E2%80%8B-retaurant-stiffed-waiters-ag-says/

Immaterial for us. Seabourn is inclusive and TK is a licenser, not the restaurant owner

Everyone likes different things obviously. I've sailed on Regent five times and Oceania once...having now sailed on Seabourn I would never consider sailing on the other two lines again.

Oceania's pool area gets very crowded, and if you don't save a lounge chair by 8 am, you may not be able to sit in the shade.

Food wise, no comparison IMO. I know two other friends who sailed on the Riviera separately before I did and they feel the same way.

The decor on Oceania is tacky and downright silly in places ( Jacques ).

Too each their own !

This is how we felt too.....variety is NOT important when everything else is so good....

I'm not sure how many times one would want to eat the same thing for lunch, especially on 12-14 day cruise. Variety is important.

Great and thorough review. I wonder, ( as I've often asked ) how lunch is? Do the menus change, are there daily specials? Lunch offers few options other than the Oceanview. Dinner has all the specialty restaurants in addition to Blu and Luminae .....

I can say this for sure :

I met and had a brief conversation with the Celebrity VP in charge of food and wine at a Miami food festival event. He said that the food budget for Luminae was much higher than any other ship restaurant including Murano.

They also culled their best chefs for the restaurant, some from Murano, some new hires.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the food in Blu. I think the menu is replete with fancy culinary terms, but falls short on substance and execution. The menu hasn't really changed since it's inception five years ago.

I will be try Luminae for the first time in a few weeks aboard the Silhouette. I look forward to it.

I'm not a fan of the poolside music per se, since I listen to my own if I want...that being said, I thought the music was surprisingly modern and good on my last cruise ( Quest, April ). I guess it's ok for ambiance if your reading, talking ...

I've switched to Regent for the same reason.

I've by an large switched to Seabourn for that reason too ( higher prices for suites ). With alcohol and gratuities the price is similar unless you book a Tuesday special .

The Celebrity menus haven't changed much since 2012 and the prices are much higher.

That pretty much sums it up.

There is Luminae , the new Suite only restaurant. That's the biggest change that I can think of.

Actually I have:

On our 15 day Amazon-FLL cruise one of the assistant Maitre D's went out way and beyond at every venue we encountered her, and resolved a lot of problematic situations for others with ease and elegance. At the end we commended her on her performance and (a one-only and extremely discreetly) wanted to reward her with a tip, which she flat-out refused. As she put it; to her this was enjoying the challenges in a rewarding job, and she would much more appreciate a positive guest comment evaluation to SB rather than any financial contribution.

 

And in general: SB IS my cruiseline of choice because of and NOT in spite of their non-tipping policy. ;P

For clarification. I luv Seabourn for a variety of reasons, the crew being on top of the list. Re: the comments above..the Asst Maître D might be an officer, they don't and shouldn't accept gratuities. ( though I did see one accepting gladly ).

For the record, besides my cabin attendendent i " tipped " two crew members. One , the hostess ( which created the original controversy in this thread ) and a bartender . I did this at the END of the cruise, so it wasn't to receive any special treatment during the cruise or hugs, or thank you's after... I will never see either again.

The bartender was leaving the ship to start a restaurant in Columbia with another Seabourn employee...this was a going away wish you luck gift.

The hostess was also leaving the ship due to pregnancy...the gratuity was to thank her for her friendship.

I appreciate learning about the " crew fund ". I will donate to that going forward. I already commend crew members on the comment card...

But I will still continue to give out selective gratuities to crew, discreetly.

Why? Because I think it's the right thing to do...and for me, that's all I really care about.