Specialty Restaurants- Cost Excessive or Not?

[Highlander1]

We are booked on the Silhouette on March 5 and have booked 5 nights of specialty dining. The cost seemed reasonable to me, however, after thinking about it, I am wondering if the cost is excessive.

 

If we could assume that a dinner in the MDR with all the courses served would cost around $75 per couple, retail at a land based restaurant, with a bottle of wine and tip, total around $125 for arguments sake.

 

Now for the specialty restaurants, we add $40 per person which puts the total cost of dinner for two with wine and tip at a little over $200. For $200, they should be matching high end restaurants in our best cities. I have no issue with the cost, just expect a top shelf meal and service and I'm not sure many of the pay restaurants meet that criteria.

 

I think a surcharge of around $25 p/p is more in line with what is reasonable and the restaurants would surely be busier. In fact, maybe $50 percouple and toss in a drink each or a cheap bottle of wine. Cruise lines could probably buy a $15 retail bottle of wine for under $5. As good as they are at angling for your $$$, they don't use much common sense in trying to establish return customers.

 

Anyway, we are looking for ward to the specialty venues. Any one else , agree, disagree?

[YOW]

OTOH as part of the cruise fare we've paid maybe $20 for dinner in the MDR, so charging $60 total ($40 on top of what's already paid) for the specialty restaurant isn't unreasonable. Then again, by that math, is the meal in the specialty venue worth three times the price of dinner in the MDR? Of course this is all subjective.

[macruisefan]

Highlander, I am in the school of thought that specialty restaurants are in fact some of the biggest BARGAINS on a cruise ship. I put a monetary value on the MDR meals much, MUCH lower. At their best, they are mass produced banquet food. I price the value at maybe $25-30 per dinner. However, the equivalent meal to those in the specialty restaurants would run my $75-90 on land before drinks. So, a premium of $20-40 is a bargain in my opinion.

 

Of course, there are those among us who get so worked up at the mere mention of a charge that reason and common sense cannot be applied when discussing this topic with them:D

[ghstudio]

Highlander, I am in the school of thought that specialty restaurants are in fact some of the biggest BARGAINS on a cruise ship. I put a monetary value on the MDR meals much, MUCH lower. At their best, they are mass produced banquet food. I price the value at maybe $25-30 per dinner. However, the equivalent meal to those in the specialty restaurants would run my $75-90 on land before drinks. So, a premium of $20-40 is a bargain in my opinion.

 

Of course, there are those among us who get so worked up at the mere mention of a charge that reason and common sense cannot be applied when discussing this topic with them:D

 

If nothing else, the flatware at the specialty restaurants is special...in fact my wife liked the flatware at the Tuscan Grill (Eclipse/Eqinox) so much, I called Oneida to find out how I could buy it. Net of the conversation was that the flatware is made specially for Celebrity and can't be sold at retail, however they do offer the same flatware with a shiny finish for $175 a place setting ..... So I guess, if you don't think you are getting your money's worth, just put a fork and spoon in your pocket :)

[worldspan]

Money spent for specialty dining on Celebrity is money well spent! Maximum bang for the buck in terms of the dining experience. Go for it!

 

Worldspan

131 cruises strong

[Iamthesea]

If nothing else, the flatware at the specialty restaurants is special...in fact my wife liked the flatware at the Tuscan Grill (Eclipse/Eqinox) so much, I called Oneida to find out how I could buy it. Net of the conversation was that the flatware is made specially for Celebrity and can't be sold at retail, however they do offer the same flatware with a shiny finish for $175 a place setting ..... So I guess, if you don't think you are getting your money's worth, just put a fork and spoon in your pocket :)

Could you share that name? I liked the flatware as well. Reminds me of my own Oneida that I received as wedding gifts over 30 years ago. I cannot find anything like it. Like the heavy weight of it.

 

BTW - I think the service of the Specialties is a little over the top. but the food is outstanding.

[Orator]

If the tables are filled, the price isn't excessive. If the tables are empty, the price is excessive. The market is the determining factor. Remember, it only takes a small percentage of cruisers to fill the room, so what even most might think really doesn't matter to those who set price.

[Denny01]

The whole dining experience and opinion of it is so subjective. For example, I would not rate the MDR as banquet food....I guess I haven't attended highend banquets. With that said, we do try one Specialty restaurant on each cruise. On Celebrity, I've found the restaurants to be well worth it....but I'm saying well worth my money and have no idea if you'll feel the same.

 

Others see the specialty experience as a standard part of the cruise and dine so every night. And others consider it a rip and a knockoff to get you to spend more.

 

There are some specialty restaurants that I found over-the-top (Princess) - the amount served was way too much, to the extent that I didn't enjoy the meal because of the quantity. I found Celebrity to be more in line with a high-end restaurant experience, and great seating. We dined at the Tuscan and had seats right at the center against the windows and enjoyed watching the wake. Fantastic just for the view.

 

And there wasn't an attempt to get us to price up on the wines. He asked me what wine I wanted with my steak (excellent cut and cooked perfectly rare for my taste), and I told him to pick an appropriate one. He seleced a great wine that was mid-priced. I was impressed with him not going with the high-priced one.

 

So enjoy. I personally enjoy the MDR most nights, and try one night specialty....which for me, makes it a 'special'. Then again, I go bananas over Five Guys and my wife would rather die.

 

Den

[ghstudio]

Could you share that name? I liked the flatware as well. Reminds me of my own Oneida that I received as wedding gifts over 30 years ago. I cannot find anything like it. Like the heavy weight of it.

 

quote]

 

Oneida Vivanti

[2Fltravelers]

We are booked on the Silhouette on March 5 and have booked 5 nights of specialty dining. The cost seemed reasonable to me, however, after thinking about it, I am wondering if the cost is excessive.

 

If we could assume that a dinner in the MDR with all the courses served would cost around $75 per couple, retail at a land based restaurant, with a bottle of wine and tip, total around $125 for arguments sake.

 

Now for the specialty restaurants, we add $40 per person which puts the total cost of dinner for two with wine and tip at a little over $200. For $200, they should be matching high end restaurants in our best cities. I have no issue with the cost, just expect a top shelf meal and service and I'm not sure many of the pay restaurants meet that criteria.

 

I think a surcharge of around $25 p/p is more in line with what is reasonable and the restaurants would surely be busier. In fact, maybe $50 percouple and toss in a drink each or a cheap bottle of wine. Cruise lines could probably buy a $15 retail bottle of wine for under $5. As good as they are at angling for your $$$, they don't use much common sense in trying to establish return customers.

 

Anyway, we are looking for ward to the specialty venues. Any one else , agree, disagree?

 

Hi Highlander:

 

I don't know if you are aware of this or not but there are packages for the specialty restaurants offered onboard. On our January Eclipse cruise they were offering 5 dinners for 2 in the specialty restauants (2 in Murano, 2 in Tuscan and 1 in Qsine) with a bottle of wine at each for $399 per couple. That means that the wine was virtually free. While I don't know what kind of wine they were providing, it seemed like a very good deal, however, since we did not need the wine (had premium beverage package), we did not partake.

 

If you decide to take them up on such an offer or any other onboard offer (discount promotions) they will cancel your reservation, refund your online payment to your onboard account and they charge your onboard account for the promotional price. They did that for us in Qsine where they were offering a 20% discount for the first night and it saved us $16.:cool:

[vtcruising]

On RCI cruises I got used to the MDR having some tasty items, but overall not usually outstanding food (and more rushed service over the years). A few cruises back, I started figuring in the cost of 2-3 specialty restaurants as part of the cost of a cruise so that we would have some outstanding meals on board. We live in a rural area so some of these restaurants are a treat for us.

 

During my only Celebrity cruise, I was AQ so was in Blu, which was a step up in ambience, service and food from the MDR most likely, though somewhat inconsistent in the quality served. We splurged and did all the specialty restaurants (most more than once) and had some amazing meals. Those are the meals we have really been talking about since we returned - they were memorable experiences. Not only the food was great, but the service was exceptional.

 

I think the Celebrity cost is a bit high - Tuscan Grille is a good value at $30 but $40 each for the others seems a bit high. If you get the package or try to get the 20% off deals, $32 seems more reasonable (at the Lawn Club Grill you can choose as much meat as you wish to grill, including seafood, beautiful steaks, lamb, etc., at Murano's you get several courses of gourmet food and at Qsine you can order as much as you can eat of about 20 amazing dishes/combinations plus dessert).

 

I guess choosing to dine in a specialty should be based on each person's tastes, previous experiences, budget, etc. We tend to do less shore excursions and rarely buy jewelery, etc. and at this point in our lives enjoy the intimate dining experiences we have in the specialties for some of the dinners on board. At this price point it seems worth it to us (especially if we get the discount), but if the prices continue to rise, we will need to reconsider.

 

I think next time we will do some lunches in the specialties. On the Silhouette lunch was served in Murano, Tuscan Grille and Lawn Club Grill (not sure about Qsine) on certain days. I never checked the price but I would assume it was cheaper. Seems to be a good way to try these restaurants without the big bill.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Gonzo70]

When the specialty restaurants were mostly $30 per/person I thought they were a great deal. Now at $40 per/person they are still a bit cheaper than what a similar meal would cost on land (moderately cheaper if you order more than three courses), so while I find $40 fair, I do not feel like it is a bargain. I plan to look into the specialty restaurant packages on future cruises since I do really enjoy the specialty venues and these packages bring the price down again to where they become a good value. I enjoy the main dining room, but do agree that it is pretty much a banquet hall experience (in terms of ambiance and food quality) and IMHO the specialty restaurants are a significant step up.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Another way to look at this is based on your experience, not cost.

 

There are only so many opportunities in your life to experience really great food. Despite all the disagreements on these boards about the quality levels of MDR and specialty restaurants, there is widespread consensus that the specialty restaurants are better.

 

And the calorie count is pretty close between the two (unless better food encourages you to chow down more...).

 

So, if the total cost of the cruise including specialty upcharges fits within your budget--I would go for the better food and not think about the cost of any given meal.

[noriboating]

If you like fine food- don't miss Murano. If you have a large group and 4 hours for a campy fun meal- try QSine. IMHO they are well worth the surcharge.

[ghstudio]

 

There are only so many opportunities in your life to experience really great food. Despite all the disagreements on these boards about the quality levels of MDR and specialty restaurants, there is widespread consensus that the specialty restaurants are better.

 

And the calorie count is pretty close between the two (unless better food encourages you to chow down more...).

 

So, if the total cost of the cruise including specialty upcharges fits within your budget--I would go for the better food and not think about the cost of any given meal.

 

I admire your enthusiasm....but let's just say that the specialty restaurants are significantly better than the MDR without lurching into raving accolades :)

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi All,

 

Lol... funny what us "ladies" notice... I too told Hubby at our Dinner at Murano's that I liked the whole table setting.

 

So yes, GHSTUDIO, I thank you for doing the research… much appreciated.

 

The “Good China” that appeared for the Champagne Tea was gorgeous. My GF and I were definitely impressed with that out-lay as well.

 

As for value in the Specialty Dining Venues ??

 

I only tried out two on the Solstice… Bistro on Five and Murano’s (the latter twice as I’ve mentioned above)

 

When we first heard about Specialty Dining, I think that we like others perhaps new to cruising, or the concept of “paying extra” were weighing those EXTRA Charges… and that certainly can colour one’s thinking as it is only natural that you begin to ADD UP what everything aboard costs.

 

The meals in the MDR we found to be quite good… even though they are basically prepared and served “Banquet Style”… (ie… I always took this to mean 100s of meals at once… and not so much reflective of the quality). The one disappointment we have found though in regards to presentation in the MDR was the Shrimp Cocktail it was a HUGE disappointment coming in essentially was a “small soup bowl” (what my British Canadian roots would call a nappie bowl)

 

We figured that the MDR meals were equivalent to just about any average restaurant that we eat at on land (taking into account that Mr Sloop and I go to real restaurants, and not fast food places, roadhouses etc)

 

So good value considering that Celebrity says they only a lot aprox $ 12 per person per day for ingredients in their Dining Venues (NOTE – there is no accounting here for other costs such as energy, labour etc)

 

The meal we had in Murano’s on the other hand, is much more like we would choose when we want a “fine dining” experience on land… something I’d categorize as a 4 or 5 Star Dining experience at say a land-based hotel. Food ingredients, preparation, presentation, Restaurant décor, and the whole Service Staff (presentation – apparel – politeness – menu knowledge – etiquette – and general service) reflected that.

 

So if I take say $ 5 to $ 10 from the daily rate for ingredients… and add in a few more bucks for energy… and then add on the $ 40 I spent in Murano’s (that also included the “service charge”) it would probably work out to be closer to $ 50 to $ 60 per person for that experience… which would be what here in Canada I’d pay to dine at a land-based city hotel dining room for a meal of this calibre (amuse bouche – soup – salad – main entrée – and dessert, along with homemade breads, cappuccino and chocolates)

 

Champagne Tea in Murano’s cost $ 25 per person ($ 19 without champagne). This is probably not as good a value as a full meal here… but $ 25 isn’t unrealistic either… most land-based hotels that serve an English Tea tend to charge that as a minimum… the legendary Chateau Hotels in Canada (part of the Fairmont Group) charge closer to $ 40 or $ 50 for such an experience.

 

Lunch at Bistro on Five for $ 5… probably even less of a value… BUT the food was good, and the location on the ship with the windows excellent… we loved sitting here on a rainy day in St Maartens and looking out at the Island and the Port (we were anchored in Great Bay)

 

Realistically, one can get a similar eats at the Oceanview Café (soup, salad, sandwich / omelette / stirfy)… but there is something to be said for the warmth, comfort and non-crowd venue that is the Bistro on Five… added in with table service vs serve yourself. (Although the table service here we found to be just average… not high end like other places we ate on the ship)

 

BTW – ALL of the Specialty Restaurant venues are ALL YOU CAN EAT (just like everywhere else on the ship) … so if you want to try a variety of dishes you certainly can. Qsine & Silk Harvest are most certainly set up for sharing… but if you are out with your “honey” or with friends you know well… nothing wrong with sharing bits & bites here and there along the course of the meal in other venues as well. Mr Sloop and I were overwhelmed by the variety of desserts that came to us at the end of the meal in Muranos (and the chocolates at the end)... it was all too much... so we shared bites of each.

 

Hope this info proves helpful to others,

 

Cheers!

 

PS… I’ve attached some PHOTOS… (I apologize that this point in time I only have thumbnails to share)

 

1-Murano’s Tablescape

2-Champagne Service

3-Amuse Bouche

4-Goat Cheese Souffle (foreground) & Creamy Maine Lobster Bisque (background)

5-Lobster dish being Flambeed tableside

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi All,

 

More photos…

 

1-Dover Sole being Deboned tableside

2-Murano’s Meals – final presentation

3-Desserts – Grand Marnier Souffle (foreground) – Six Etoiles (centre) – Chocolate Souffle (background)

4-Chocolate Souffle

5-Les Six Etoiles / The Six Stars

 

Cheers!

 

Sloop-JohnB

[Sloop-JohnB]

Hi All,

 

More photos… this time from Bistro on Five…

 

1-Décor

2-Window View – St Maartens

3-Window View – Port at St Maartens

4-Chicken Caesar Salad

5-Mediterranean Crepe

 

Cheers!

 

Sloop-JohnB

[sarahc78]

If we have OBC we eat there more than if we dont have OBC. The food in Normandie has been fantastic each time we have dined there. Definitely worth the $35 surcharge.

 

The food in the MDR is so good (at least to us though) that it wouldnt bother me if we did a cruise w/ out eating at one of the specialty dining options though.

[Iamthesea]

Could you share that name? I liked the flatware as well. Reminds me of my own Oneida that I received as wedding gifts over 30 years ago. I cannot find anything like it. Like the heavy weight of it.

 

quote]

 

Oneida Vivanti

 

Thank you! Nope, that's not the same flatware I was thinking of. I remember that, though - the Ramono flatware. Hated that the knives would not sit on the edge of the plate without rolling off. Must have been another ship I was thinking of that had flatware similar to mine.

 

I like the Carolina shown here: http://www.dillards.com/product/Oneida-Carolina-65Piece-Flatware-Set_301_-1_301_502277230?rr=true

[Fixit2010]

IS the cost excessive or not?

 

That all depends on what you can afford and what is a lot and how many times you go to a specialty restaurant.

 

The way I see it is this. By the time the cruise comes around, I have paid for it.

That sum covers time on to time off. It is written off as my holiday, not broken down in to individual entities such as MDR fee, cabin rate, grats, etc.

 

I like the MDR and I am not so snobby as to look down at it and say I a posh and can/will eat in a specialty every night.

 

To me the specialty restaurants are exactly that, something a little more special. Over do it and you lose the novelty factor.

 

I would recommend 3-4 times in 14 days to keep it fresh.

 

The standard of the MDR is much higher than most people would get on land anyway.

[cruisegirl1]

The price was not excessive and we really enjoying especially dining, but after once or twice ( on a 7 night cruise) it seems to become “food excessive” . I think we went 3 times on an 11 nigh cruise. On a recent Solstice cruise, we had several reservations and cancelled the reservations we had for later in the week.

M

[Northern Aurora]

The hubby and I have never found the specialty restaurants on Celebrity ships to be overpriced for the quality of the food, service and ambience. On Century last November we did purchase a package for several meals in Murano which made the dinners darn cheap.

[OceanCruise]

I think they are a bit overpriced at $40pp. Remember, by the time you add in drinks/wine, specialty coffee, plus an extra tip (not required but typical), you are paying significantly more plus you are already paying for the meal in the MDR that you didn't eat. I think the price point should be $20-30.

[phoenix_dream]

In my opinion, in light of the fact that you are already paying for a meal in the MDR (which I think is generally quite good, if not excellent at times), I think when the cost hits $40 that is excessive. The food and service are excellent, but for our family of three, at $40 a pop plus wine the cost can really add up. Whether it is 'worth it' is a personal choice. Let's just say that to me, it was alot more worth it when it was $25 or $30pp. For some people this is their one vacation splurge per year - I say go for it. For us, we take several trips a year (and sometimes more than one cruise) so we prefer to pinch some pennies here and there where we don't really feel the pain. Skipping the speciality restaurants, along with other cost saving measures like hauling on cases of diet Coke instead of buying a beverage package, is one of those areas.