First Cruise In Luminae

[Gracie115]

I think the music issue is an "M" class issue, we did not encounter it on Eclipse and I haven't read any comments about that on "S" class....

 

Also, I wonder how much smaller Luminae is on M class vs S class... we never had a problem getting seated, never waited at all over 16 nights....and only once or twice over that time were most, not all, but most tables taken and we dine almost every night between 6:30 and 8PM.....which by all accounts is "primetime"

[rjrpar]

I have a related question. Wouldn't it be significantly less expensive to remain in a balcony cabin and book specialty restaurants every night? I suspect that food quality is much better, everything is prepared to your order, and there is more variety with 2 or 3 restaurants on every ship.

Thanks in advance.

[Gracie115]

I have a related question. Wouldn't it be significantly less expensive to remain in a balcony cabin and book specialty restaurants every night? I suspect that food quality is much better, everything is prepared to your order, and there is more variety with 2 or 3 restaurants on every ship.

Thanks in advance.

 

Don't know about the expense ratio but Luminae was better than any of the specialty restaurants...including Murano's....and everything IS prepared to order in Luminae.....at least that's what they say....

[C-Dragons]

Luminae is truly wonderful, and we look forward to many more great meals there. :D

Our experience on Summit was a bit different. We never made reservations for dinner, and never had to wait more than a few minutes for a table. Three meals were offered every day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

We, too, found the volume of the music was, at times, a bit too loud.

And totally agree that the food in Luminae, as well as the service, is above that of any of the specialty restaurants.

Though we will still go to the Lawn Club Grille. ;)

Edited June 15, 2015 by C-Dragons

[Ma Bell]

I have a related question. Wouldn't it be significantly less expensive to remain in a balcony cabin and book specialty restaurants every night? I suspect that food quality is much better, everything is prepared to your order, and there is more variety with 2 or 3 restaurants on every ship.

Thanks in advance.

 

Sure it would be less expensive. I doubt that most people are booking a suite for Luminae alone. It's just one benefit.

[BEAV]

I have a related question. Wouldn't it be significantly less expensive to remain in a balcony cabin and book specialty restaurants every night? I suspect that food quality is much better, everything is prepared to your order, and there is more variety with 2 or 3 restaurants on every ship.

Thanks in advance.

 

If you'd like to dine nightly in a specialty restaurant, my suggestion would be to book the $29 per person per day ultimate specialty package. It's only available for purchase on board ship (you can't book it pre-cruise) and has very limited availability, so board as early as possible and immediately book the package before they sell out.

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/11024491_CEL_SpecialtyDiningPck_Flyer2.pdf

[bob278]

I have a related question. Wouldn't it be significantly less expensive to remain in a balcony cabin and book specialty restaurants every night? I suspect that food quality is much better, everything is prepared to your order, and there is more variety with 2 or 3 restaurants on every ship.

Thanks in advance.

Well, that's certainly one alternative and it would be less expensive. It would be better on an S-class ship as the specialty restaurant choice is better. It boils down to what you want in your cruising experience.

 

Suites have other benefits that only you can decide are right for you. Sky suites are larger cabins and have a butler who can provide an extra level of service. Moving up to Celebrity Suites gets a still larger cabin and access to Michael's Club with a concierge who will bend over backwards to provide even more service. And the highest level suites add alcohol and internet benefits as well as more space.

 

As far as dining goes, what comes with the cruise in the main dining room is usually pretty darned good, the specialty restaurants are somewhat better in terms of quality of food and service and Luminae sits at the top of the heap.

 

But keep in mind that food is definitely a very subjective subject. It might be a good idea to find someone in a suite to invite you as a guest and pay the upcharge for a single meal to see if the difference is worth it to you. Just because someone else loves Luminae does not mean it is the best place for you.

 

It's sort of like a Chinese restaurant menu where you can choose from column A, B and C and pay for what you want. There is no right or wrong answer other than "you have to decide for yourself".

[HouseRulz]

Also, I wonder how much smaller Luminae is on M class vs S class... we never had a problem getting seated, never waited at all over 16 nights....and only once or twice over that time were most, not all, but most tables taken and we dine almost every night between 6:30 and 8PM.....which by all accounts is "primetime"

 

The ratio is almost identical.

 

M-Class: 1 seat per 1.85 suite guests (at double occupancy)

S-Class: 1 seat per 1.83 suite guests (at double occupancy)

[C-Dragons]

Well, that's certainly one alternative and it would be less expensive. It would be better on an S-class ship as the specialty restaurant choice is better. It boils down to what you want in your cruising experience.

 

Suites have other benefits that only you can decide are right for you. Sky suites are larger cabins and have a butler who can provide an extra level of service. Moving up to Celebrity Suites gets a still larger cabin and access to Michael's Club with a concierge who will bend over backwards to provide even more service. And the highest level suites add alcohol and internet benefits as well as more space.

 

As far as dining goes, what comes with the cruise in the main dining room is usually pretty darned good, the specialty restaurants are somewhat better in terms of quality of food and service and Luminae sits at the top of the heap.

 

But keep in mind that food is definitely a very subjective subject. It might be a good idea to find someone in a suite to invite you as a guest and pay the upcharge for a single meal to see if the difference is worth it to you. Just because someone else loves Luminae does not mean it is the best place for you.

 

It's sort of like a Chinese restaurant menu where you can choose from column A, B and C and pay for what you want. There is no right or wrong answer other than "you have to decide for yourself".

Hi Bob! Glad to hear you enjoyed Luminae as much as we did. :)

Just to clarify, the suite guest must pay the surcharge for anyone they invite to dine in Luminae.

Edited June 15, 2015 by C-Dragons

[bob278]

Hi Bob! Glad to hear you enjoyed Luminae as much as we did. :)

Just to clarify, the suite guest must pay the surcharge for anyone they invite to dine in Luminae.

We certainly did.

 

That makes it a little more complicated since it would have to be a friend who trusts you to repay them. But sampling it for an evening or a short cruise makes more sense than booking a bunch of cruises in a suite in the hopes you'll find it worth it.

 

For us, at least a sky suite for space and Luminae will make sense unless there is a really large bump between Concierge/Aqua and the SS.

[kenevenpar]

So, are they now not serving the three meals per day that they promised?

[C-Dragons]

So, are they now not serving the three meals per day that they promised?

On Summit they ARE serving three meals a day.

However, from what I have read on CC this is not the case fleet wide.

[Loyal2Royal1995]

We are on the Summit April 2016, how do you and how early can u make reservations for Luminae? I will be traveling with my parents and want to set it all up. I can't wait to experience Luminae..

[gkm]

Sherry, our Conceirge on the Infinity was Lenny. He's still as sweet as ever and we sure did enjoy sailing with him again. We thought of you often.

 

Garry

[C-Dragons]

We are on the Summit April 2016, how do you and how early can u make reservations for Luminae? I will be traveling with my parents and want to set it all up. I can't wait to experience Luminae..

Currently reservations for Luminae cannot be made ahead of time (as far as I know). You can make them once on board. That may, or may not change by the time you sail.

If you are in a CS or above, you can probably ask the MC concierge to make them for you when he/she contacts you the week before you board.

[C-Dragons]

Sherry, our Conceirge on the Infinity was Lenny. He's still as sweet as ever and we sure did enjoy sailing with him again. We thought of you often.

 

Garry

Gary, how lucky for you, I had heard that Lenny was on Infinity now. I thought of you, too, when we were in MC on the Summit last month.

 

I think you had asked about the chairs in Luminae. They were added to Luminae on the cruise after ours. I have not seen them personally, but heard that they are round, barrel type chairs. And they do have pillows for those who need them. :D

Edited June 15, 2015 by C-Dragons

[bob278]

We are on the Summit April 2016, how do you and how early can u make reservations for Luminae? I will be traveling with my parents and want to set it all up. I can't wait to experience Luminae..

In our limited experience (1 cruise on Infinity last month), they really don't make reservations. More than once I told them on the way out that we wanted the same time tomorrow and they said no problem but never even touched the computer. And by the way it worked when we showed up (2 out of 12 nights there was no table within 30 minutes), I think the fact, if not the policy, is that it is open seating. As the maitre 'd said, a suite guest standing at the podium is not going to be happy if they are told the only table in the room is reserved - it won't matter that they don't have a reservation, they expect to be seated NOW.

 

I agree with Ann's post that the Alaska itinerary may have played a part where people were sitting near the window in an elegant surrounding and just enjoying the scenery and an after dinner drink (or 2 or 3 :D).

Edited June 15, 2015 by bob278

[orknot2be]

Can anyone tell me how Luminae will work for us as we don't eat meat or chicken and I am deathly allergic to shellfish (salmon, tuna, sole, etc is ok). I've certainly never starved or went hungry on a cruise despite some of my dietary restrictions (verified by the too tight clothing once I've arrived home and the 5 lb a week weight gain.... Probably the only down side of cruising since I eat very light at home but really enjoy our cruise ship dining :-) a little too much!!

 

I'm just thinking that the Luminae menu might be so fancy and somewhat limited and not offer selections that would accommodate our needs. Obviously there will always be something we can request from the MDR. But just curious from those of you who have experienced it, are there some decent vegetarian type offerings as well as non-selfish fish choices? Will they prepare a fish dish that is available in the specialty restaurant (more the type of fish, not an exact duplicate of the recipe). Just wondering.

 

Thanks for any info. We are sailing on the Summit in a couple of weeks.

[Wj420]

Regarding restrictions, we sailed in April, only the second week luminae was open. We ate every available meal in that dining room. Each evening there was a vegetarian entree. Most nights there was a fish option that would work. Hopefully one of the other luminae diners will assist with the types of fish. Enjoy!

[C-Dragons]

I eat fish every night when I cruise. On our Summit cruise a fish dish prepared differently each evening was available in Luminae. I enjoyed every single one. :D

The staff in Luminae are keen on making your dining experience the best it can be. They will take good care of you, enjoy!

Edited June 16, 2015 by C-Dragons

[chemmo]

Orknot2be,

 

If you are going to have difficult, faddy, medicinal, complicated dining requirements I can not recommend a dining establishment better than Luminae to meet your needs!

 

From the minute you walk in the staff want to look after you and make every meal special. Not only will they show you what is on the menu suitable for your dietary needs they will show you tomorrow's menu and if there is nothing to suit they will sort it for you.

 

We were on the Equinox in April. There were some meals we tried which were superb, some great and some not to our taste. But that is great. We experimented and tried some new dishes. What made Luminae very special was the level of service. You will be very well looked after. Talk on the first night about what you do / do not eat and the staff will look after you from there.

 

Have an amazing cruise

[orknot2be]

Thanks all for their great advice. I'm really looking forward to this great experience, even more so because of all the raves here. And I'm now completely comfortable that Luminae will work out great even with the dietary limitations and we'll be completely spoiled and pampered! Which makes it 10 times harder to go home and back to work :-(

[BEAV]

For those dining in Luminae who select items off the MDR menu, are those items still prepared, assembled, plated, etc, in the MDR galley?

 

And does Luminae have it's own separate galley for items specially created for it's menus, or do they share a section of the MDR galley?

[TxnAquarian]

For those dining in Luminae who select items off the MDR menu, are those items still prepared, assembled, plated, etc, in the MDR galley?

 

And does Luminae have it's own separate galley for items specially created for it's menus, or do they share a section of the MDR galley?

 

 

Items ordered from the MDR are prepared in the MDR galley. The items in Luminae are specially prepared in their own galley.

 

Michael

 

 

 

Michael

Edited June 21, 2015 by TxnAquarian