Specialty Dining

[JSCW6]

Hi! We will be taking our first cruise on Celebrity in a few weeks and have a few questions about specialty dining. I have looked through the threads but am unable to find the answers so this may be a bit redundant. We are interested in booking a 3 night specialty dining plan. What is the cost of booking on the ship vs booking before the cruise? Is it more difficult to book once on board so I could use my OBC? Thanks for your help!

[shainky84]

My fiancé and I aren't sailing until next summer, but I posted a similar thread a few weeks ago that has generated some great conversation on the topic. Check it out, as it should answer your questions.

 

Barry

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[kenevenpar]

Every cruise is different as to how many advance reservations are booked, which could impact booking on board to use OBC. It is a chance I would take to use the OBC.

 

I am not a fan of the 3 or 5 plans. You only get to select you restaurant choice for the first day, X chooses the others, the price is not that much better than booking each one separately. Also, there are usually discounts available onboard for individual reservations. We do not go unless there is a minimum 20% discount.

Edited July 17, 2015 by kenevenpar

[TeaBag]

You can often get a discount the first night of the cruise. Which ship are you sailing on?

[JSCW6]

Thank you for your responses but I still am in need of the price of booking the 3 night specialty on ship. I see the precruise price is $99. What is it when you are aboard?

 

And is it difficult to book the three night once aboard the ship?

[JSCW6]

the Solstice

[keesar]

The problem with waiting is that you may not get the times you want to dine. On our last cruise, many of the more desirable times were gone two weeks before the cruise. However, if you wished to eat at 6 or 9:30, that was not a problem. It seemed that the formal nights booked up really early.

 

On some cruises, you can get 20% off. On others, there have been no discounts other than the first night. I assume it is based on supply and demand.

[JSCW6]

Thanks Keesar, What was the package price on board????

[keesar]

Thanks Keesar, What was the package price on board????

 

Individual prices on board were $50 for Murano and $45 for the others. 20% discount for the first night only for everyone. I believe the price was $120 for 3 and it included one night at Murano. On our previous cruise, we got a 50% discount the first night and I tried real hard to get that this time but they refused to budge from the 20%.

[teecee60]

Take longer cruises if you can... every one I have been on, they always offer 2-4-1. I'd never do a specialty restaurant unless it's 50% off.

[Teenybk]

Is the Bistro a specialty restaurant, and if it is, what's the usual cost? With our Sky Suite, we have access to Luminae and get two specialty meals, so trying to determine when to eat where. Any advice?

[chemmo]

Bistro is only 10 dollars and Silk Harvest 35. So use your freebies in Muano's at 50 and Tuscan at 45!

 

 

Murano's does table side preparation so it is nice to see your lobster flambéd, Tuscan has a really amazing rib eye...and great views. Much as we enjoyed Luminae (Equinox, as it opened) we did find some days we did not really fancy what was on the menu. Now they are also offering the MDR menu as backup. What we tended to do was look at Luminae's menu and see what we would miss if we didn't dine there and then decide to go to Luminae or go to a speciality. The only problem with this strategy is that Murano's, in particular can book up and all specialities tend to book up for prime times although early/late can still be available.

 

Just to reassure you Luminae's is really good, but it is nice to have variety and other options!

[Teenybk]

Bistro is only 10 dollars and Silk Harvest 35. So use your freebies in Muano's at 50 and Tuscan at 45!

 

 

Murano's does table side preparation so it is nice to see your lobster flambéd, Tuscan has a really amazing rib eye...and great views. Much as we enjoyed Luminae (Equinox, as it opened) we did find some days we did not really fancy what was on the menu. Now they are also offering the MDR menu as backup. What we tended to do was look at Luminae's menu and see what we would miss if we didn't dine there and then decide to go to Luminae or go to a speciality. The only problem with this strategy is that Murano's, in particular can book up and all specialities tend to book up for prime times although early/late can still be available.

 

Just to reassure you Luminae's is really good, but it is nice to have variety and other options!

 

Thank you for the info. I think the Constellation only has Tuscan Grille and Ocean Liners, so thinking will schedule the two specialty dinners in each with most other dinners in Luminae, probably reviewing the MDR menu, also. Bistro is affordable enough to try as another option.

 

Thanks again for information.