Question About Specialty Restaraunts on Reflection

[barney6895]

I have been on many celebrity cruises and for some reason never opted to spring for the specialty dinning as I book a Suite or Penthouse and even when they give me free dinning credit I have never felt inclined to use it as the MDR was always great and It was nice having the same people wait on you every night and they were always so fun. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week a 7 night and my Celebrity Vacation Planner gave us free dinning credit all around for this trip. We are trying to decide if we should go to Murano or Tuscan Grille. Murano is just our kind of place, but Tuscan looks awesome and seems to have this amazing view of the bow. Anyone been to either of these on this ship? Also my vacation planner with celebrity said I have to pay for the dinning in advance this week and then they will credit back to my account on board. Or can I just book on the ship and take the chance they might be full? I remember on the Constellation last year they had people with samples and menus trying to get people to sign up the first day for specialty dinning. Id rather not spend the money on my card and then get some onboard credit back just seems funny to do it this way. What do you all think, should I just wait until the minute i get onboard and arrange this with guest relations with the rest of the things I need to arrange? Or pay in advance and just get credit back? Thanks!

[cruzemaven]

I have been on many celebrity cruises and for some reason never opted to spring for the specialty dinning as I book a Suite or Penthouse and even when they give me free dinning credit I have never felt inclined to use it as the MDR was always great and It was nice having the same people wait on you every night and they were always so fun. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week a 7 night and my Celebrity Vacation Planner gave us free dinning credit all around for this trip. We are trying to decide if we should go to Murano or Tuscan Grille. Murano is just our kind of place, but Tuscan looks awesome and seems to have this amazing view of the bow. Anyone been to either of these on this ship? Also my vacation planner with celebrity said I have to pay for the dinning in advance this week and then they will credit back to my account on board. Or can I just book on the ship and take the chance they might be full? I remember on the Constellation last year they had people with samples and menus trying to get people to sign up the first day for specialty dinning. Id rather not spend the money on my card and then get some onboard credit back just seems funny to do it this way. What do you all think, should I just wait until the minute i get onboard and arrange this with guest relations with the rest of the things I need to arrange? Or pay in advance and just get credit back? Thanks!

 

Just in case, I would book in advance. This way you can reserve the day and time that you want. Tuscan Grille is very good and Murano is excellent! If deciding between the two, I would choose Murano. We have been on the Reflection twice and have dined in both restaurants as often as we were able to get reservations.

[dgparent]

My wife and I ate at Tuscan and it was awesome !! We sat at a table right up against the windows and the view was almost as good as the food :) We did not try Murano so I can't compare the 2 sorry, but we liked it a lot better than Quisine.

[Phxazzcruisers]

While Murano is excellent, we prefer Tuscan. The food and service were wonderful and depending on what time you eat, the view is also spectacular.

[Milhouse]

I'd probably wait while onboard. The risk is that you may not get the exact time slots you want. You can mitigate the risk if you embark early and head to one of the restaurants to book.

 

The Taste of Reflection occurred on day 2 for us (different itinerary) on the grand foyer.

 

We thought the service in Murano was amazing in that they're timing is so coordinated. We enjoyed the food but the menu selection didn't really resonate with us. It was fun dining though because we don't do "Murano" type restaurants very often.

 

While we enjoyed TG too, the dining wasn't really special. Liked the range of selection though as you could go through a full traditional meal. Might be fun going in a group eating family style.

 

If you book a late seating in TG, I'm not sure how much visibility you'll get out of the windows once it gets dark. We were seated close to sunset and it was great to watch the sun go down. But after that, there wasn't much of a view.

 

[Qsine is on the top of our list to try again because of how whimsical it is. But I can appreciate that it's may not be for everyone. Enjoyed the food at Lawn Club Grill too but it was kind of an experience I could get grilling in my backyard.]

Edited March 1, 2014 by Milhouse
add pic

[akowilm]

Ate in both, returned to Murano several more times. Loved it!

[wallie5446]

Yes Murano is wonderful on Reflection, but:eek: the Lawn Club was outstanding!

We are sad the Lawn Club will not be installed on the Equinox by our sailing this Nov. So we will go to Tuscan too.

[akowilm]

I also LOVED the Lawn Club grill! Very different for the others, but so much fun and the food was great!

 

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

[FortyNinerLiz]

While Murano is excellent, we prefer Tuscan. The food and service were wonderful and depending on what time you eat, the view is also spectacular.

 

AMEN!! The service is so "Italian" lively!!! They are honest when they tell you that a steak can be "very rare". Plus they have a steak tartare as an appetizer!! I do not like food "cooked" and so this is my place. Plus, they have the best "breads"!!! Plus, the view is really terrific! Murano was wonderful, but almost too "stiff" for us. We did a cruise where we ate almost exclusively in the specialty restaurants. We also liked the Lawn Club Grill on the newer Solstice Class ships!! Really fun and the food was delicious.

[keesar]

If you book and pay in advance, you will get the date and time you want. If you do later change it to a certificate, you will be refunded in OBC. You can wait until you get on board but that could be risky in terms of not getting the day and time you want. It depends on how busy.

 

We have enjoyed Tuscan Grill on the Reflection. Great food and service. Plus if you get in early, you have great views. The filet mignon was outstanding! The service in Murano is rather stiff and impersonal. Call it very formal. But the food is also excellent.

[wyn_wyn1]

I would wait until you board the ship. You can make reservations the very first day. My experience as I have dined in all the specialty restaurants on the Reflection and booked them the first or second day. I had no problem getting a preferred reservation time. I am a select Captain's Club member, so I don't know if that made a difference. The Tuscan Grill was fabulous for the view and food. The Lawn Club was a great experience and the food was awesome. QSine is kind of eclectic and fun. All restaurants had great service.

[Cruise a holic]

I have been on many celebrity cruises and for some reason never opted to spring for the specialty dinning as I book a Suite or Penthouse and even when they give me free dinning credit I have never felt inclined to use it as the MDR was always great and It was nice having the same people wait on you every night and they were always so fun. I am going on a cruise with my friends next week a 7 night and my Celebrity Vacation Planner gave us free dinning credit all around for this trip. We are trying to decide if we should go to Murano or Tuscan Grille. Murano is just our kind of place, but Tuscan looks awesome and seems to have this amazing view of the bow. Anyone been to either of these on this ship? Also my vacation planner with celebrity said I have to pay for the dinning in advance this week and then they will credit back to my account on board. Or can I just book on the ship and take the chance they might be full? I remember on the Constellation last year they had people with samples and menus trying to get people to sign up the first day for specialty dinning. Id rather not spend the money on my card and then get some onboard credit back just seems funny to do it this way. What do you all think, should I just wait until the minute i get onboard and arrange this with guest relations with the rest of the things I need to arrange? Or pay in advance and just get credit back? Thanks!

 

We prefer to dine in the speciality restaurants on our cruises. We Love the Lawn Grill. I think you might also. Consider it if available on your ship. While the food in the MDR is typically ok, once you have dinner in the Lawn Grill and have a freshly prepared on the grill dinner, you will experience the difference.

 

The first night, you typically get a discount on all of the speciality restaurants. Sometimes as much as 50% depending upon how crowded they are.

 

You can book and charge your "free" dinner at home to ensure you get the time and venue you want, then Celebrity will give you a credit when you board. Since you probably will have expenses on board, at least the tips, the customer service desk will arrange for this credit.

 

Enjoy your cruise, and consider splurging on a couple of speciality restaurants. This will enhance your cruise experience!

Edited March 2, 2014 by Cruise a holic

[keesar]

 

You can book and charge your "free" dinner at home to ensure you get the time and venue you want, then Celebrity will give you a credit when you board. Since you probably will have expenses on board, at least the tips, the customer service desk will arrange for this credit.

 

 

Last week on Silhouette, I was asked by Guest Relations to bring the certificate for the complimentary dinner to Murano. The maitre d' gave us OBC of the $90 I had originally paid the night we dined. Then he applied the certificate and the cost was $0 before additional gratuity.

 

You can wait to book but on one cruise we wanted to eat in Murano on the second formal night. Nothing was available at the time we wanted to eat. I guess it depends on how flexible you can be.

[blueboro]

We are just back from Reflection yesterday and we were disappointed in Tuscan. It had been very good on the Eclipse two years ago but on this one 3 of us got filets...even though medium rare very dry. Two got the ribeye and it was really fatty and had quite a bit of grissle. Other courses were good but the main course was a disappointment. Murano was MUCH better on this Reflection cruise than the previous Eclipse. So, it could just be hit or miss. We did the Lawn Club Grill for the first time and the meats were delicious. Did not each much pizza as I did not want to interfere with the main course.