Sushi dilemma!

[suchablonde]

We have early seating, and that can't change. BUT I lurrrve sushi. Also very much enjoy the dining room experience so we'll probably only dine ensuite once, so I can have sushi that night :D. I'm so looking forward to this cruise with my only concern being when will I find the time (and stomach room) to enjoy the sushi bar? I could eat it every day. It's only available from 5-8 pm, right? Shall I take a plate to my room and keep it chilled for a midnight snack? hmmm!

 

Anyway, this is our first Celebrity cruise, Century on 3/19. Docs should be in my hands TODAY! We've been on three RCCL cruises and we love cruising. But we're so convinced that we're going to be crazy about Celebrity that we've already booked a 2006 cruise with them!

 

DH is most excited about being "buttled," lol, though I'm not really sure what we'll ask of him. Coffee in the am for sure! No more sneaking down to the coffee shop half awake and half dressed! Has anyone stayed in cabin #1045? I'd love to hear about it!

[Bruin Steve]

I always face the same dilemma...We always do early seating...and I love Sushi...I always comment that they should open the sushi bar at 4 pm...so we could use it for pre-dinner appetizers like the late seating folks can...

 

Now, when we were on the Millie in the Mediterranean, they had early seating dinner at 6:30...so, we were able to run up to the sushi bar for when it opened right at 6:00, have a few pieces and then head down to the dining room for dinner...Not as easy when main seating is at 6:00 pm...

[Leela]

I don't want to harsh anyone's mellow here, but if you're a real sushi fan you might be disappointed by the quality and variety on board. It's not an actual sushi bar, it's sushi set out on the buffet in one specially-decorated section of the regular buffet restaurant. There was mostly california roll and ebi (cooked shrimp). There were some vegetarian rolls and tuna roll too. I don't recall seeing any nigiri, but my memory is hazy on this. Mom & I went one night and were completly nonplussed. There was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't worth missing dinner in the restaurant for in our opinion.

 

I suggest you check it out as early as possible so that if you aren't thrilled you can still make it to the dining room for your seating. I think the idea of taking a plate back to your cabin for snacking on later sounds pretty nifty. I'd try it myself but I'm usually so full after dinner I can't eat until lunch the next day!

[birders]

I recall that the hours were 6-10.

[Bruin Steve]

Yes, it is 6-10, but, when you are in Main Seating, you tend to stuff yourself, then eat dessert and don't really feel like heading to another eating venue before 10...at least I don't...If they would open at 4 (I was once on the Carnival Elation and they had sushi that opened at 4), then we early seating folks could go up and nosh on just a few pieces and still be ready for dinner...

If you are on late seating--usually 8:30 or 8:45, it is quite easy to have a few bites of Sushi at 6 and still be ready to eat a full meal when you finally get served your dinner around 9...

 

And, Leela, OF COURSE it isn't the full blown sushi bar with the guy making hand rolls and salmon skin roll and turning up exotic offerings for you on demand as you would at your local sushi bar...they don't just have 12 to 20 stools along a counter with a glass case and a sushi chef for every 5 or 6 people...They are trying to feed a large number of people and that requires a different kind of operation--it requires a more limited menu and "mass-production"...it lends itself to buffet style...But it IS good for what it is...The selection is a little more varied than you noted (at least it was when we were on the Millie)...They did have Salmon and Tuna and Yellowtail and Eel and Shrimp...and a few different rolls...You could grab what you want off the buffet with a little wasabi and ginger and sit down at a table with a bottle of soy sauce and enjoy...

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

I have had Celebrity's sushi many times, and while I would agree that is it not the sushi you may get in a top notch sushi restaurant.... it is still excellent.

 

If you enjoy sushi, you should have no problems finding what to like. I highly recommend it !

[Leela]

Oh, I totally understand that it's high-volume sushi and what all the constraints are...I just feel that it's not worth missing dinner in the main dining room for, that's all! (Especially when they have lamb steak on the menu.) That's why I said I thought nabbing some for snack later was a nifty idea. That way one would avoid the dilemma of having to choose between the two options. :)

[Andy]

Oh, I totally understand that it's high-volume sushi and what all the constraints are...I just feel that it's not worth missing dinner in the main dining room for, that's all! (Especially when they have lamb steak on the menu.) That's why I said I thought nabbing some for snack later was a nifty idea. That way one would avoid the dilemma of having to choose between the two options. :)

 

Hi Leela !

 

As much as I like sushi, I definately agree that I would not miss a dinner for it :)

[WeBeCruisin']

We had late seating on our three Celebrity sailings and my routine quickly became to go to the Martini Bar at about 5:30, have a most excellent classic martini, then head to the Sushi Bar at 6:00, enjoy a plate of very good sushi, and then return to the Martini Bar at about 6:45 for another most excellent classic martini, and then return to the room at about 7:30 to get ready for dinner.

 

Besides the wasabi and soy sauce, they had a red sauce which was quite spicy, but delicious. I asked the name of the sauce and they told me "kimchi", but it was nothing like the kimchi I had in Korea (which I also liked). This was about the consistency of Tiger Balm or Bone-Suckin' Good sauce. Delicious.

 

Another possibility for you would be to go up about 9:30 or 9:45 and get a plate to take back and place in your minibar until you were ready for a midnight snack. They also sold sake at the Sushi Bar and, I think, plum wine.

 

Allen

[Leela]

Allen, you just gave me a great idea: since the sushi is being served on trays anyway, wouldn't it be cool if someone could wheel a little cart with sushi on a tray on ice over to the Martini Bar during the cocktail hour? Oh yeah!

[WeBeCruisin']

Leela, that's a fantastic idea! And if the sushi gets too warm, we can beat the waiters with bread sticks.

[fireguy091]

We also have early seating and I want to enjoy some sushi, so I will pick a couple nights to do alternative dining later in the evening then sushi bar here I come...:)

[suchablonde]

Thanks everyone. Great information.

 

It's good to know I had the hours wrong - I can see myself having a snack at 9:30ish if I'm craving sushi; or yeah, taking some back to the room for later :)

 

No! I would not likely miss dinner for the sushi bar, however, for sushi in the martini bar?! Very possible! LOL. Ahh well, someday. Now that we cruise-with-kids, time in the martini bar is pretty limited.

 

This whole conversation about how am I going to find time to eat everything is cracking me up. On a previous cruise dh and I went to a midnight buffet (not a gala, one they had every night). Anyway, I guess we were a couple minutes early and there were HUDREDS of people pushing at the door to get in! I just thought that was hysterical. I mean, it was as if they hadn't eaten in days when in fact it *might* have been three hours!

 

Instead of dieting to look good for vacation, maybe the thing to do is eat lots and lots to prepare to eat more and more on the cruise! LOL! JK!

 

Thanks again

[Tatka]

Too bad X can't do it as HAL does. On HAL (at least Zuiderdam) during the lunch they had WOK station with oriental food and sushi. It was great.

[birders]

Yes, it is 6-10, but, when you are in Main Seating, you ...don't really feel like heading to another eating venue before 10...

 

 

...But it IS good for what it is...The selection is a little more varied than you noted (at least it was when we were on the Millie)...They did have Salmon and Tuna and Yellowtail and Eel and Shrimp...and a few different rolls...You could grab what you want off the buffet with a little wasabi and ginger and sit down at a table with a bottle of soy sauce and enjoy...

 

Yes - I agree - I only posted the hours for clarification - not saying it was great for main seating people. In fact, we used to always eat main seating (and never tried the sushi) - switched to late seating about 3 cruises back (for a number of reasons) and now enjoy a little of the sushi snack (and it WAS a selection as you describe on the Summit in September and January) then mosey a bit later to the martini bar - where one is now all set for that cocktail, no longer with an empty stomach! :)

[zalusky]

So has anybody tried Sushi at the other cruise lines? How is Crystal's?

 

 

I am pretty spoiled when it comes to sushi restaurants themselves and after experiencing Celebrity's I just think I will samples the alternatives. Dinner/Gourmet Bites/...

 

I also like the exotic stuff like Uni, and Ama Ebi and they have to be done well and very fresh or forget it. You wont get that on a two week cruise.

 

I do like the idea of a Asian snacks that they could rotate each night like Pot Stickers, and Wonton, and Bow, and, ...

 

However they have some pretty complicated food rules. We asked them why dont have popcorn for the movie theater and besides the mess potential, the reason was they couldnt recycle and feed it to the fish.

[Bruin Steve]

So has anybody tried Sushi at the other cruise lines?

 

The only other ship on which I've had sushi was Carnival's Elation...on the Mexican Riviera circa Summer of 1999...

 

The "sushi bar" was only open from 4:00 to 6:00 I believe...and more there as an "afternoon snack" than as an alternative dining venue...It was in a small counter adjacent to a bar on the promenade deck...Seating was close to nonexistent except for sitting in the bar area...They did have a sushi chef making it right there in front of you and items were made, basically, individually, however they only had four or five choices each day (although it did rotate day to day), usually two or three slabs of fish or shrimp of some kind and one or two rolls...So, maybe, one day it would be Tuna, Eel and Shrimp and a California Roll and a Veggie roll, the next day, Salmon, Yellowtail and Octopus and a tuna roll and a veggie roll...It was actually very well presented and VERY good...

 

Celebrity does a little less of a job in presentation, but a better job in variety and volume...and comfort...

 

OF course, I enjoyed both and think Sushi should be a regular on ANY ship...and with LONGER hours, please...

[critterchick]

Monarch of the Seas (RCCL) has a pretty good Japanese restaurant, Jade Sushi. It was only open for lunch on our cruise, and it was an extra charge for the sushi, but it was a decent variety (no exotic stuff) and semi-fresh. At the Diamond & Platinum reception, they had several trays of pre-made sushi. Again, not primo stuff, but it went very well with my Grey Goose martini, mmmmm.:D

[sunpsyche]

Besides the wasabi and soy sauce' date=' they had a red sauce which was quite spicy, but delicious. I asked the name of the sauce and they told me "kimchi", but it was nothing like the kimchi I had in Korea (which I also liked). This was about the consistency of Tiger Balm or Bone-Suckin' Good sauce. Delicious.

 

 

Allen[/quote']

 

I loved that kimche! Finger lickin good!

[canderson]

There was mostly california roll and ebi (cooked shrimp). There were some vegetarian rolls and tuna roll too. I don't recall seeing any nigiri, but my memory is hazy on this. Mom & I went one night and were completly nonplussed. There was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't worth missing dinner in the restaurant for in our opinion.

On our prior cruise, this is the sort of sushi we found as well. At least on the Summit, things have changed. On our most recent (December) cruise, we found more than the "prepared" stuff -- they offered shake (salmon), hamachi (yellowtail) and maguro (tuna) and others of the sort one would expect to find in a western sushi joint. Quality was about par with a hyaku yen (yeah, like you can get it at THAT price anymore!) rotary sushi sort of place in Japan. Not outstanding in terms of color and thickness of cut, but very fresh tasting. Hey, I don't expect toro on a "free" sushi bar, even when it's in season!

[greeneg]

We also tend to eat late, but one night on our last trip on the Zenith, we asked and our maitre d' had an assortment brought down to the table as a snack between courses.

 

I found the available sushi assortment to be much broader that I had expected. Very fresh and tasty also.

[boten]

Here's a picture of some sushi we had on the Summit last July in Alaska

[fireguy091]

Here's a picture of some sushi we had on the Summit last July in Alaska

Thats looks good enough for me... :D

[LOGHL]

Silversea has sushi EVERY DAY at the buffet!!!!!!!!!!! Also sashimi, and always keep it filled!!!!!!!!!!!!

[suchablonde]

Mmmmm! Looks deeelish, boten!

 

Three weeks from today! Yippee!