Luminae not Created Equal for All Suite Guests?

We were on the April 7-15, 2018 ABC sailing on the Equinox. We booked our first Sky Suite to celebrate my DW's retirement. There was a large table for 10 guests set-up in the back half of Luminae. Every evening, they would all arrive around 6:20pm and not leave until approximately 8:30pm. We, and other guests, initially tried to sit in this area with the large group, but they were very loud and we found we could not enjoy our dinner nor converse with one another. After a couple of nights we began to request being seated in the front half of Luminae in order to reduce the noise and disruption factor from this 10-person group table. By this same time, all other guests were also requesting to be seated in the front half of the restaurant for the same reasons. It became very crowded in the front half of Luminae and the large group ended up having their own personal private dining area in the back half of the restaurant.

We found that our dining experience declined because we couldn't always get booked when we wanted in the front half of Luminae. I expressed my frustration with the Maitre D' and he said he understood, but there was nothing he could do. I also talked to the Suites Manager, Anton, who came to investigate the situation and said he would get back to me with a resolution, but I never heard another word from him.

My guess is that Celebrity rarely has a large group like this booked at the same time in Luminae. It seemed to me that the should have a policy which limits the number at a single table(s) to four to help prevent what we experienced from happening. In this case, it would have been nice if they had found another private room for this group to dine together so it wouldn't ruin the experience for all of the other guests.

We had booked another suite cruise on the Eclipse for a Baltic sailing in August, but now I'm having some second thoughts about proceeding. When one pays a significant upcharge to enjoy Luminae and Michaels Club, it is my expectation that the experience should be a pleasant one.

We were on the April 7-15, 2018 ABC sailing on the Equinox. We booked our first Sky Suite to celebrate my DW's retirement. There was a large table for 10 guests set-up in the back half of Luminae. Every evening, they would all arrive around 6:20pm and not leave until approximately 8:30pm. We, and other guests, initially tried to sit in this area with the large group, but they were very loud and we found we could not enjoy our dinner nor converse with one another. After a couple of nights we began to request being seated in the front half of Luminae in order to reduce the noise and disruption factor from this 10-person group table. By this same time, all other guests were also requesting to be seated in the front half of the restaurant for the same reasons. It became very crowded in the front half of Luminae and the large group ended up having their own personal private dining area in the back half of the restaurant.

 

We found that our dining experience declined because we couldn't always get booked when we wanted in the front half of Luminae. I expressed my frustration with the Maitre D' and he said he understood, but there was nothing he could do. I also talked to the Suites Manager, Anton, who came to investigate the situation and said he would get back to me with a resolution, but I never heard another word from him.

 

My guess is that Celebrity rarely has a large group like this booked at the same time in Luminae. It seemed to me that the should have a policy which limits the number at a single table(s) to four to help prevent what we experienced from happening. In this case, it would have been nice if they had found another private room for this group to dine together so it wouldn't ruin the experience for all of the other guests.

 

We had booked another suite cruise on the Eclipse for a Baltic sailing in August, but now I'm having some second thoughts about proceeding. When one pays a significant upcharge to enjoy Luminae and Michaels Club, it is my expectation that the experience should be a pleasant one.

This sounds awful! We are also people who like to have a nice relaxing romantic dinner. It is important to some people and not others unfortunately. One time we had a couple of women next to us in Luminae who proceeded to turn on their cell phones and blast someone talking to a baby. Maybe cute to them but they were sitting about two inches from us (tables for two are close together). DH said something and they got upset and moved. Normally I would not say anything to the people but in the case YAY!

That sucks! Reminds me of a dining room experience we had where there were two tables of ten each next to us. It appeared as though it was 10 couples. The men sat at one table and the women at another. The men all wanted individual pictures with waitress. She went from chair to chair and every time the photo was taken the men would howl. To top it off, the women got in on the act yelling at their mates as they got their picture taken. It was like eating in bizarro world. At least I didn't pay extra for that experience.

And if there is a table for 4 (or 2) who happen to be habitually loud, then what?

I understand that you may prefer a quiet environment in which to dine, but it is a public room, not your private dining room. And it's an unfortunate fact if life that large tables tend to be a bit louder. This is no different than any other dining room, except that the comparatively small size if Luminae may serve to amplify the problem (no pun intended).

If they had split this larger table into several smaller adjacent ones, there's no guarantee the volume wouldn't have been just as loud, as they shouted across tables to each other.

,...... It seemed to me that the should have a policy which limits the number at a single table(s) to four to help prevent what we experienced from happening.......

limiting tables to no more than 4 seems unreasonable, Groups of 5 and 6 travelers or diners is not uncommon - and doesn't split to a 2 smaller groups easily. Most, if not all, restaurants I can think of have tables for up to 6.

I think Celebrity should offer Suite guests a reduction in price of any specialty restaurant so that it would be an excellent alternative if they are not happy with Luminae. Since the food in Luminae is theoretically better quality this discount would cost Celebrity very little. (I have never stayed in a suite with X so I don't know if they already offer this. If they do, that would have been my fix)

My own opinion (and something I agreed about recently with another poster on another board) is that large groups shouldn’t really be accommodated in a speciality dining venue because of the negative impact it can have on others. There is a space in Luminae that can accommodate 6 or 8 guests fairly comfortably. We have sat there. I’ll also say that as a larger group we have always respected others that dine there. Sadly not everyone does and they have their brains firmly in "all about me" land.

10 is too many and not fair on others. There is no way you can all converse anyway with that number. I never quite get the attraction. Two tables and round robin approach sounds much better, but some have the pack mentality!

Phil

Yes,it is quite unfortunate that these situations happen from time to time, but a ship is also a very public place with thousands of people. Some people are very conscientious and others are not. Also, with Edge coming afloat, I have a vision of the suite area being very much this way, as there are more suites and only so much room. I also see the issues with those who are not in a suite. It seems like the more people there are in certain venues, the more issues arise. I think the more flexible one is the better he/she can adapt to situations. I have been in Lumunae quite a few times and have never seen this type of situation, but it obviously hapoens and can create a dominoe effect...

OP, do not allow that situation to keep you from sailing in another suite. Just try to stay away from large tables whenever possible and realize that this situation, more than likely, will not happen anytime soon...

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We see groups of eight in Luminae often but they have never been loud or distracting. As much as I would have hated the situation the OP describes I don't think limiting the number of people at a table is fair either. Unfortunately some people are simply rude. We are traveling this summer with another couple and their family (7 people total) and we certainly plan to dine together at least occasionally.

I agree that group numbers in Luminae should be limited to eight. We were B2B (Med/TA) on Reflection one Fall and there was a group, also B2B, which started out with 12 people on the first cruise and 10 on the second. They apparently didn’t seem to notice anyone else around them while they were dining and occupying the tables for upwards of 2 hours. This caused a problem for other guests trying to eat in Luminae who had to wait for an extended amount of time for the tables to become available as service for their group always took longer. With the exception of a few nights in the specialty restaurants, they were in Luminae every night for the B2B. The staff took a lot of flack from unhappy guests though they couldn’t do anything about it.

My opinion is that management should be proactive and limit group sizes in Luminae.

It’s unfortunate that the group was so loud that they disturbed others.

We were recently on the Constellation and while there was not a large group there were 3 tables of 4 all of whom were very loud. They weren’t traveling together and the 3 tables were not talking between the tables - just 6 very couples whose voices & laughter travelled. No matter where they were seated they could be heard. It was better if only 1 table was there but most nights ( and breakfast) all 3 where there at the same time at some point.

DH, asked them if they could lower their voices as he wears hearing aids and that amplifies the sound. That lasted about 5 minutes and they returned to what was apparently there normal volume.

madcitymaven,

I was on the same cruise and in Luminae when that particular table was louder than surrounding tables. I do think it was just a one off, as most people are very considerate of the tables around them I did not think it was handled as well as it could have been by the Maitre'd, as there could have been a polite request that they lower their voices. I have seen several large groups in Luminae before, but the level of their voices were more moderate even during holiday trips with extended families in Luminae.

A few of them were in Michael's Club one afternoon during the tea, and they were also enjoying their time there.

Perhaps because it was a Caribbean cruise, people may have been in a more party like atmosphere all week.

The Baltics is a wonderful trip, and if you enjoyed Luminae's food and the suite amenities, go ahead and book it. We have cruised the Baltics a few times, and it is always a great trip.

I hope you enjoy your next Celebrity cruise.

"Luminae not created equal for all suite guests"?? Not sure what that implies. IMO this is not really a Luminae issue nor should Luminae legislate a maximum table size going forward. This is clearly about poor behavior and lack of decorum and respect for other passengers from that one particular group on the OP's cruise. Sometimes this happens in nice restaurants on land too. Last year we were a family group of 8 dining in Luminae. We have also on occasion met others in Michael's Club on the cruise and had dinners in larger groups in tables pushed together. Never had any complaints. Most groups that I have seen in Luminae know how to behave. Hopefully the Luminae Maitre D' or the Suites Manager did try to address it with them but not sure what they really could have done beyond a discussion. If this happened on my cruise I would not be thrilled either.

And if there is a table for 4 (or 2) who happen to be habitually loud, then what?

 

I understand that you may prefer a quiet environment in which to dine, but it is a public room, not your private dining room. And it's an unfortunate fact if life that large tables tend to be a bit louder. This is no different than any other dining room, except that the comparatively small size if Luminae may serve to amplify the problem (no pun intended).

 

If they had split this larger table into several smaller adjacent ones, there's no guarantee the volume wouldn't have been just as loud, as they shouted across tables to each other.

I disagree... bigger group really takes over and negatively affects others. And this is not limited to Luminae...

On our last Infinity Cruise there were two very large groups in BLU.....one came early, the other one after them...

They were seated all along the back wall...banquet style. They were very loud and used the sommelier frequently and fequired several extra wait staff.. They were the ones who were treated to almost private dining.

Maitre d tried to seat couples or tbls of 4 back there but no one really wanted those tables..too loud. We moved away as did others. This skewed everything toward the front of the dining roonwhich became over crowded. Changing dining times did no good..b/c the 2 groups were there early and later

They should drfinitely limit groups in the smaller dining rooms to 8... The larger groups can take turns enjoying each other's company..

Yes, tables for 6 or 8 can be loud too but not as bad as a long table along the back of the room!

I think limiting the maximum table size to six would be prudent. On land many upscale restaurants cap the maximum guests that may be seated at a given table to help protect the ambiance. While small tables do not guarantee quiet or respectful behavior (my last cruise I had an idiot playing video games with her cell phone each night with the music on loudly in Luminae; this was an adult, not a child - at least age-wise). Smaller table sizes do help increase the chances the dining experience will be more pleasant (as large tables generally result in significantly more noise even if guests are trying to be considerate).

I also think dining room managers need to be trained to better handle parties or individuals who are being disruptive. Too often they are so fearful of complaints or negative reviews that they opt to look the other way; instead of making the one or two guests exhibiting the bad behavior unhappy, they opt to "let it go" and it is the large group of well behaved guests that suffer. This applies not just to noisy, rude adults, but also to people traveling with infants/young children who do not remove the child from the dining room when they become loud/fussy and do not quickly quiet down.

I know country clubs that request cell phones be turned off. Maybe Luminae could at least try that.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I disagree... bigger group really takes over and negatively affects others. And this is not limited to Luminae...

 

On our last Infinity Cruise there were two very large groups in BLU.....one came early, the other one after them...

 

They were seated all along the back wall...banquet style. They were very loud and used the sommelier frequently and fequired several extra wait staff.. They were the ones who were treated to almost private dining.

 

Maitre d tried to seat couples or tbls of 4 back there but no one really wanted those tables..too loud. We moved away as did others. This skewed everything toward the front of the dining roonwhich became over crowded. Changing dining times did no good..b/c the 2 groups were there early and later

 

They should drfinitely limit groups in the smaller dining rooms to 8... The larger groups can take turns enjoying each other's company..

 

Yes, tables for 6 or 8 can be loud too but not as bad as a long table along the back of the room!

We had a similar problem in Blu on a recent cruise. Table of 8, very loud talking across the table to each other, no consideration for fellow guests. Luckily it only occurred a couple of the nights (don't know where they were the other nights). I think this is a very delicate issue for the Maitre d's to handle, but handle it they should. Perhaps a discreet word with the folks at the table on their way out of the restaurant rather than a confrontation which embarrasses them (unless it was WAY out of line). The behavior rules everyone who cruises is supposed to abide by does have wording I believe about behavior that disrupts others. Intentionally or not, I think this qualifies.

I sympathize with the OP. On our last cruise in Luminae, there were 2 couples who several times brought in guests, bring the total to about 10. Yes, they were loud, having a good time and talking across the table. It was disruptive to the rest of us, but I agree that the staff is reluctant to confront unruly guests for fear of a complaint or bad review. But I don't think that smaller tables in the answer --- if 10 people want to dine together, they will be talking between tables if they can't all sit together.. I'm not sure what the solution is, but maybe this thread will serve as a reminder for diners to keep their voices down when socializing with others in Luminae.

I really don't know what the fix would be as we have had large groups which were disruptive to the enjoyment of those around them, and other times large groups who were not disruptive to the enjoyment of others at all. For example, last summer on the Millennium (with the smaller sized Luminae) there was a group composed of passengers from fifteen suites with over thirty passengers traveling together. The Luminae maitre'd told them he was going to do two seatings in the evenings, and used the banquet seats along the wall. They were not noisy at all as folks just conversed with the person beside or directly across the table. They also didn't take over Michael's Club. But several years ago on the Equinox there was a large group about twelve in Blu who were not considerate to those around them, were consuming large amounts of alcohol, and thought nothing of almost yelling down the length of the table to say something to someone a considerable distance away. So I can sympathize with the OP's experience.

I do agree that large, inconsiderate grous can be a huge problem. It is one of the reasons I am unlikely ever to cruise with Azamara again. In that case, the restaurant ceilings are so low and the speciality restaurants so narrow that any noise is magnified. The problem group was considerably larger than 10 people.

However, in Luminae and the speciality restaurants on Celebrity ships, surely the problem could be improved by employing screens round carefully placed large tables. In the case of Luminae, the space taken would not be as great as effectively losing half the restaurant. A screen would not only block some of the noise but would also reflect it back on the group, hopefully resulting in them moderating their volume.

I know country clubs that request cell phones be turned off. Maybe Luminae could at least try that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our club has that policy (no cells on during dinner) and table size is now restricted to seating 8 per table. It's natural for friends wanting to be seated with friends, but it's also natural that 'the more the merrier' will result and the surrounding diners won't be so merry...LOL. On another note, I wouldn't want to be the management person to ask the large group to tone it down. There'd be a straight run to Guest Relations with a complaint against him/her. Also, it's probably a given there would be another long thread here on CC, this time re the maitre d' having the 'nerve' to ask cruisers in Luminae to not enjoy themselves (loudly). Comes down to good manners and empathy for others. Can't regulate that no matter the table size.

I do agree that large, inconsiderate grous can be a huge problem. It is one of the reasons I am unlikely ever to cruise with Azamara again. In that case, the restaurant ceilings are so low and the speciality restaurants so narrow that any noise is magnified. The problem group was considerably larger than 10 people.

 

However, in Luminae and the speciality restaurants on Celebrity ships, surely the problem could be improved by employing screens round carefully placed large tables. In the case of Luminae, the space taken would not be as great as effectively losing half the restaurant. A screen would not only block some of the noise but would also reflect it back on the group, hopefully resulting in them moderating their volume.

Project_gal,

Nice suggestion. I like it!

I have organized a few group cruises and had one with 20 rooms, thus 40 people. Did not request a table for 40 in MDR. :) There is some practical limit and for us we were seated at 5 tables (round tables seating 8 each), all close together, but we moved around a couple of evenings. I did create the initial seating chart matching up people for each table.

I would think the same/similar could be done for larger groups in Luminae too. I have never found that tables larger than round tables for 8 to be conducive for easy and natural volume of conversation. If not round, it is much harder to have a conversation anyway beyond those on either side of you and likewise across from you, thus on rectangular tables, 6 would be the limit to have natural conversations most times in my experience.

Never had a problem with any group larger than 6/8 in BLU where they had 2 sections on Silhouette set up for this size group.

Last cruise on Equinox there was one obnoxiously loud woman in Luminae and she complained about EVERYTHING and NEVER stopped talking (almost yelling)! She sat with her husband. Fortunately the first couple of nights the were finishing their entrees when we were seated. Everyone in the room could hear her every word!

One evening the Maitre'd brought us around the corner to seat us and it was almost next to this couple who were still looking at their menus. I stopped him and asked if there was a table available in the other half or we would come back later. I apologized for being fussy but he indicated that I was not the first patron who requested not to be seated near this this woman.

My biggest complaint in Luminae, however, was a screaming kid on Infinity last year. He was about 3 or 4 and would jump on the seat (the bench seat along the wall) and run around and SCREAM! My husband was way more patient with him bumping his chair than I would have been! He was obviously overtired and the parents just ignored him (I don't know how). I don't think young children should be seated in Luminae after 8:00 pm.

I know country clubs that request cell phones be turned off. Maybe Luminae could at least try that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Right on point! No reason to disturb others who are trying to have a quiet dinner. This goes for your little neighborhood restaurant as well. Last week we were at our favorite local restaurant and three people were on a conference call yelling into their cells to a 4th person having a heated argument. So rude, why do people think this is acceptable behavior in restaurants?