New to Celebrity-questions about dining for non elite/suite folks

[Elizabeth K.]

I'm a long time Princess cruiser looking at Celebrity or HAL for a cruise next winter. I read the 1st 10 or so reviews on CC for the Reflection and they are all from suite or concierge class cruisers. Since I won't be either, I'm wondering what the dining experience is like if you are a plain ole veranda or OV person without the preferred dining status. It is challenging to make a reservation in the specialty dining venues? The food and dining experience is fairly important to us. Thanks for any insights:)

[Champagne Cruiser]

The main dining room on Celebrity IMHO far exceeds Princess and HAL. There is a good selection every night (with standards every night as well) expertly prepared. Is it 5 Star dining? No, but it is very good. The quality and selection at the Oceanview Cafe (buffet) is also very good. We try to eat one night al fresco on the back deck from the buffet. They also grill chicken, steak and fish to order at the buffet grill. You will not be disappointed. Can there be a slip up? Probably, but your waiters will be more than happy to rectify any issue you might have. Because of the food and smoking policy Celebrity is our first choice in cruise lines. Why go on a cruise where your really have to eat in specialty restaurants every because the food in the MDR is just not very good?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm a long time Princess cruiser looking at Celebrity or HAL for a cruise next winter. I read the 1st 10 or so reviews on CC for the Reflection and they are all from suite or concierge class cruisers. Since I won't be either, I'm wondering what the dining experience is like if you are a plain ole veranda or OV person without the preferred dining status. It is challenging to make a reservation in the specialty dining venues? The food and dining experience is fairly important to us. Thanks for any insights:)

 

Concierge Class cruisers don't have any different dining options from what you have (except for a slightly expanded room service breakfast menu). Nothing to fret about. Not usually a problem to get reservations in specialty dining venues--they are so pricey, they usually have to offer deals to get people in the door.

 

[Elizabeth K.]

Thank you Jean. Good to know the MDR food is good. Appreciate any other opinions about the other food options for non suite/elites with or without up charges. Also, I hope to take advantage of the sale running right now where you can choose from the various perks. Do both people in the cabin have to pick the same perks? Can I opt for the all inclusive beverage pkg if my travel companion doesn't (she doesn't drink) ?

 

Appreciate your patience with my questions:)

[pete_coach]

We have done them all.

As an Aqua class in Blu...different dining room but in our opinion, it was a bit crowded with the tables very close together and the meals were good but nothing special.

As a Suite guest we could eat pretty well anywhere and had some specialty restaurants included as part of the package.

As "regular" veranda class cabin, we ate in the main dining room and the food was quite good too,. Half the menu is the same every night with the standard apps, steaks and chicken and desserts. The other half of the menu is the daily specials that can range form lamb chops, to lamb shanks to osso buco to lobster and so on.

As for the service, we found that it was quite comparable in them all except for in the specialty restaurants where it was a bit more attentive...Murano being the exception with the most "service" oriented specialty restaurants.

The Oceanview buffet was consistently consistent. Many people complain about it being the same every day but it does have differences every day, you just need to look for them. The service is buffet service, the food is good and plentiful.

Your expectations are yours (as everyone else) and if you expect a lot, you may be disappointment. We are not exactly foodies but have eaten in many places ranging from pizza's at a trattoria in Italy to Gordon Ramsey's in London.Our expectations of Ramsey's was considerably different but we thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and pizza in the trattoria too.

You are on ship that serves perhaps 3000 meals on the dining room in a 4 hour period so, sometimes it is better than others but in our opinion, never bad.

There is rarely an evening where the specialty restaurants are full. They are constantly trying to sell you a package to dine there....even at breakfast at the entrance of the Oceanview buffet, they will try to sell you diner at a specialty restaurant (very often at a discount). Personally, paying an extra 40 to 50 dollars per person for dinner makes me think twice as the MDR food is often the same....I say that because we have eaten in them all.

I do not think the dining experience would ever take away the pleasure of taking a cruise.

[Elizabeth K.]

Thank you. This is really helpful :) It's not like your in the steerage class if you don't upgrage to Aqua or Concierge lol...

Edited March 26, 2016 by Elizabeth K.

[Cruise Raider]

Thank you Jean. Good to know the MDR food is good. Appreciate any other opinions about the other food options for non suite/elites with or without up charges. Also, I hope to take advantage of the sale running right now where you can choose from the various perks. Do both people in the cabin have to pick the same perks? Can I opt for the all inclusive beverage pkg if my travel companion doesn't (she doesn't drink) ?

 

Appreciate your patience with my questions:)

 

No patience needed ... everyone just helps each other out. We've all been there so glad to pass along any assistance we might be able to give.

 

Elites on Celebrity don't get any special dining privileges other than a few snacks during the cocktail hour. I think Elite + (the next step up) gets free specialty coffees but not sure about any special dining privileges. Zenith is at the top of the captains club status and not really sure about their dining benefits.

The dining room has very decent choices and usually the food is very good to exceptionally good.

I understand you don't want to pay upcharges for restaurants but oftentimes you can find a package or a single meal discounted price. The upcharge restaurants range from $10 - $50 pp with Gastro Bar now charging per order as well....something we've yet to experience. You may be able to get a 20% - 50% discount on these restaurants. In my opinion, an extra $100 is way too much to pay for a meal while on a cruise. While the food, service and atmosphere are beyond wonderful most times, I do think the dining room offers a wonderful alternative. We even love to go to the buffet some evenings or just grab a burger out by the pool for a more casual meal....you know, when you just don't have the energy to get all cleaned up and dressed for the dining room after a long day out and about. Room service is even an option, although the menu is better for concierge and aqua class cabins.

 

For the free perks, you will definitely both have to choose the same perk. If you drink, the beverage package is the better deal. If you don't drink, specialty coffees & teas, as well as virgin drinks and bottled water are included in the price...so may be worth it. (the package used to also include fresh squeezed juice ... not sure if that has changed now)

Depending on the length of the cruise, either the $300 onboard credit vs the free gratuities is the option you would want to choose. Under 10 days, the onboard credit is a better value than the gratuities. And like mentioned, the option has to be the same for the both of you.

[Cruising Princess]

Many years ago I was a die hard Princess fan. But after a few just so so sailings I converted to Celebrity.

Last year I tried the Regal Princess and still found Celebrity's food to be much better.

Princess' Dining managers are friendlier as most are Italian but servers are good on both lines.

The main dining room food has wide variety. I also love Bistro on Five for lunch. It's worth the $10 fee. I order their French onion soup and chicken Caesar salad. My husband loves their daily specials like Mac and cheese or lamb chops. On the Silhouette it's still their regular menu. On some other ships they are trying out sushi.

[emileg]

I agree with all of the above comments. Booking specialty restaurants on Celebrity is just as easy as on Princess, except that Celebrity charges more. Often there are special sales, especially for the first night. There are also packages that include a few nights of specialty dining, which save you money.

 

While I agree that the main dining room is quite good, another option is to consider Aqua class. Depending on the cruise, it can cost a little or a lot more than a regular balcony stateroom. The service in the Aqua restaurant called Blu is generally very attentive. The food is different, but not necessarily better. Like others have said, the tables for two are close together, which we see as a good thing. One has the option of either interacting with or ignoring the people next to you, depending on your mood and compatibility. We have made good lasting friendships with some of the people dining in close proximity.

[Elizabeth K.]

Many thanks to you all. I'm getting clarity here. I'm going to propose the Reflection with the St. Kitts port to my group of travel pals for next winter.

 

Also, I didn't mean to imply that I never pay for specialty dining. It just depends. Princess now offers SHARE, a new venue partnered with Curtis Stone which is $39 pp. We tried it last month and it was really wonderful.

 

And Cruising Princess I relate to you with the so so cruises on Princess. It's hard to switch being Platinum and the perks I get but is definitely time to change things up!