High Tea, really? in Murano?

[LilMsFoodie]

I love Afternoon tea. Little sandwiches with smoked salmon, cucumber, egg salad etc. Pretty little pastries. Scones with clotted cream and strawberries. lots of teas, maybe a glass of champagne.

 

High tea is more of a supper: omelets, welsh rarebit, pickled eggs and all.

 

I've noticed a lot of UK Celebrity fans here on CC. Which is it on Celebrity. High Tea or Afternoon Tea, called high tea. Even Ritz Carlton's in the states call it afternoon tea.

 

Do we need to make reservations for tea?

 

Not trying to start a "tempest in a teacup", but just wondering as I start final planning for Alaska cruise in June. Thanks to all.

[Northern Aurora]

The ones we have attended on Celebrity ships have been of the afternoon tea variety, and reservations were recommended. If one if offered it will once or twice on the cruise.

 

And since Alaska cruises tend to be port intensive I wonder if one will be offered. Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we've done three Alaska cruises on Celebrity, with the last one on the final season run on the Century last fall. I'm trying to remember if a Murano tea was offered on any of those Alaska cruises and just don't recall; perhaps they were offered and we didn't attend. Hopefully someone with a better memory will respond. When we've attended the teas I remember them being offered on sea days on such itineraries as trans-atlantics, trans-pacifics and so forth.

[LilMsFoodie]

thanks for your information. I think of the Alaska cruise as being all about nature and formal things probably don't fit in and afternoon tea is certainly that.

[gdpups]

Just off Silhouette several weeks ago and enjoyed the Champagne Tea as it was included in the Ultimate Dining Pkg. It was held on the last sea day and included a glass of champagne, little sandwiches and different desserts, plus tea of course. Very nice white glove service, but after experiencing it once we decided we would not pay the $25 charge to do it again.

 

It was not well attended, could be because it was a Caribbean cruise with only two sea days and everyone else was enjoying the beautiful weather on deck.

[TeaBag]

There is also an elegant tea for Elites and it is very nice. You can get scones with jam and whipped cream any day in the buffet area around 3:30. There are also small sandwiches. It is hard to have only one scone, they are so good.

[cruisetrail]

I love Afternoon tea. Little sandwiches with smoked salmon, cucumber, egg salad etc. Pretty little pastries. Scones with clotted cream and strawberries. lots of teas, maybe a glass of champagne.

 

High tea is more of a supper: omelets, welsh rarebit, pickled eggs and all.

 

I've noticed a lot of UK Celebrity fans here on CC. Which is it on Celebrity. High Tea or Afternoon Tea, called high tea. Even Ritz Carlton's in the states call it afternoon tea.

 

Do we need to make reservations for tea?

 

Not trying to start a "tempest in a teacup", but just wondering as I start final planning for Alaska cruise in June. Thanks to all.

 

We had it in Murano on the Eclipse.

Afternoon tea with a glass of champaign.

It was one time a cruise event. It's extra charge ($$), reservation required/recommended.

It's a proper afternoon tea.

 

It's a shame that on Celebrity proper afternoon tea is for extra charge once a cruise while on Cunard/HAL/Princess it's daily and included in the price.

[tullahlula]

Just to confuse things a little more...we, in the UK, for longer than I can remember, have eaten scones with jam and cream and have partaken in drinking cups of tea, in divine little tea rooms , call it, ' A cream tea.' :)

 

My husband and I have had wonderful ' afternoon teas ' on both the Princess and Hal and I'm hoping that the 'champagne tea ' on Celebrity will live up to these two memorable experiences, especially as there is a charge of $25 p.p. and the other two cruiselines teas, were free.

 

I do believe I have read that there is a less formal, complimentary 'afternoon tea ' served in the buffet area on a sea day...does anyone know if this is correct ?

[TeaBag]

In post #5, I said it is every day in the buffet. At least it was in Nov on Eclipse.

[gdpups]

Not "served", but the items are available in the buffet at a certain time each afternoon. There were small sandwiches and scones with the fixings.

 

I do love HAL's theme teas every afternoon!

[tullahlula]

YVR cruiser, yes, I noted in post #5 that you mentioned elegant teas for elites everyday in the buffet but as this is my first cruise with Celebrity I am not eligible for elites benefits. As a Classic member, would I be able to participate in the elegant afternoon teas, every day and/or on sea days in the buffet ?

 

gdpups... thanks for the info. I'm not certain that what you suggest is the same as YVR's elegant afternoon teas but it sounds lovely anyway and yes, HAL's 'themed' afternoon teas were wonderful and most memorable. Perhaps, I may just have to wait until I reach elite status before I can participate in the 'elegant afternoon teas.' Thanks again. :)

[kfowinst]

I always thought the difference is afternoon tea is served on comfortable chairs with a lower table, whereas high tea is more formal, served at a proper table with high back chairs.

Edited February 26, 2014 by kfowinst

[DebbieMacG]

I always thought the difference is afternoon tea is served on comfortable chairs with a lower table, whereas high tea is more formal, served at a proper table with high back chairs.

 

Both you and the OP are right

 

What is High Tea?

The drinking of tea not only became a social event for the upper classes, it altered the time and manner in which they took tea. Afternoon Tea became the bridge between meals because many wouldn't eat their evening meal until maybe 8pm. As such, Afternoon Tea became a 'mini meal' in itself.

This was all well and good for the upper classes, but the working classes ran to a different schedule and a different budget. Tea was still quite expensive at the time and the working classes could not afford to waste it on anything other than necessities. A wearied factory worker wouldn't arrive home until six in the evening, and when he did, he was famished! Thus, in the industrial areas of the UK (northern England and southern Scotland), the working classes evening meal evolved: high tea.

 

English High Tea usually involved a mug of tea, bread, vegetables, cheese and occasionally meat. Variations on high tea could include the addition of pies, potatoes and crackers.

So while Afternoon Tea was largely a social event for their upper class counterparts, high tea was a necessary meal in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This traditional high tea still exists for some parts of the North and Scotland.

Why is it called 'high tea'?

A possible explanation why this type of meal was called high tea is the fact that it was eaten at a table. In comparison, Afternoon Tea was taken whilst seating in low, comfortable chairs or sofas. Of course, soon after, the upper classes developed their own variation and also called it 'high tea'. It was a meal that could be eaten when their servants were away or not available, as it was so easy to prepare. The upper class 'high tea' involved the amalgamation of Afternoon Tea and high tea, with the addition of pigeon, veal, salmon and fruit.

It is important to add that the Afternoon Tea menu served in the UK today is often refered to as high tea in many other parts of the world. Because of this some hotels, such as The Ritz in London, use the term 'High tea in London' to advertise their Afternoon Tea because a large proportion of their customers are from overseas.

Some venues do serve a special high tea menu, in addition to Afternoon Tea, which includes additional savoury items such as Welsh Rarebit, English muffins, pies or omelette.

[TeaBag]

YVR cruiser, yes, I noted in post #5 that you mentioned elegant teas for elites everyday in the buffet but as this is my first cruise with Celebrity I am not eligible for elites benefits. As a Classic member, would I be able to participate in the elegant afternoon teas, every day and/or on sea days in the buffet ?

 

gdpups... thanks for the info. I'm not certain that what you suggest is the same as YVR's elegant afternoon teas but it sounds lovely anyway and yes, HAL's 'themed' afternoon teas were wonderful and most memorable. Perhaps, I may just have to wait until I reach elite status before I can participate in the 'elegant afternoon teas.' Thanks again. :)

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I should have made it clearer. The Elegant tea is different from the tea in the buffet area. The buffet area tea is for everyone every day. You are right, the elegant tea is for Elites and is usually held in another location on one day of the cruise only. I hope your cruise on Celebrity will be the first of many. Again, sorry for not making my explanation clearer.