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Constellation speciality restaurants

Tony UK

By Tony UK,
in Celebrity Cruises

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  • 4 weeks later...
conquesodor

conquesodor

Posted
Posted

I hope it's true that Ocean Liner's will be staying. I think replacing the distinct and elegant "ocean liner" restaurants on the M class ships with Tuscan Grille has been a big mistake. :(

 

To quote my review of my recent sailing on Summit:

 

My only previous experience with upcharge dining was in the Olympic restaurant on the Millennium in 2008. I ate dinner there with four other members of my family and we all opted for the wine pairing option. The entire evening, from the food, to the service, and the ambiance, was exceptional and is recalled fondly by all of us to this day. Needless to say, this set a very high level of expectation for what Celebrity can and should offer for an alternative extra fee restaurant.

 

After the Millennium, I sailed on the Mercury, which did not have any alternative dining, so I was really looking forward to dining in Normandie on the Summit - that is until they removed it during the recent dry dock and replaced it with Tuscan Grille. This was very disappointing, but I was still hoping that the same level of excellence would be evident. Unfortunately, Tuscan Grille fell far short of the special dining experience that it should have been. Whereas the Olympic restaurant was elegant and classy, the Tuscan Grille was very contemporary and understated. A more modern ambiance isn’t necessarily a bad thing and it’s hard to quantify exactly why it was underwhelming, but in this case it simply didn’t feel distinctive, inviting, or special. Another factor was the quality of the service, which wasn’t nearly as personal, attentive, or polished as was evident in Olympic. In fact, the dining room was less than half full, yet the service felt kind of flat, almost aloof at times. Finally, while the food was prepared well and of good quality, the Italian steak house menu wasn’t particularly inspired. In other words, Celebrity replaced Normandie with a restaurant experience that isn’t hard to find back home in the States, whereas Olympic (and it’s sister restaurants) were each unique and offered guests a truly special experience. Going further, I should say that even if I didn’t have Olympic as my yardstick of comparison, I still wouldn’t have been particularly impressed with our time in Tuscan Grille.

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

Posted
Posted (edited)

That'd be a step down...mall quality gimmicky type venue.nMaybe ok for lunch nearby the pool deck.

 

Tuscan on Connie...although not aft like on S class was our fav Tuscan ....great food and service...Ocean Liners was also outstanding!

 

Did they already re do bistro on 5 to sushi? Enjoyed great lunches there but would not return for sushi!.

 

Personally, I think the M class ships were much better before being tinkered with...

Edited by hcat
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villauk

villauk

Posted
Posted
I read the other day that Connie was getting Qsine. I would have to think that would replace a current restaurant. Really hope not. Hope it's just a rumour

 

Perhaps that's when she goes into dry dock next year? Why do X think that every ship has to have exactly the same things onboard? I understand the 'brand' aspect, however, surely those little differences, such as Ocean Liners, is an added draw to sail on that particular ship :confused:?

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chemmo Holiday Sharing Rare

chemmo

Posted
Posted
Perhaps that's when she goes into dry dock next year? Why do X think that every ship has to have exactly the same things onboard? I understand the 'brand' aspect, however, surely those little differences, such as Ocean Liners, is an added draw to sail on that particular ship :confused:?

 

I have to say this is a cause for concern. We have a two week cruise booked on the Millie next year. We have always dined regularly in Olympic/Normandy/Murano's.....

 

With choices now of Tuscan (which we do like) and Q'sine which once a cruise is enough and bistro now having such a limited selection.....We are in a suite but are not great fans of the Luminae menu (i know they will get me MDR items) but I am going to miss the theatre of the Liner type restaurants as well as the food, I always really feel I have had a 'special meal' when I have dined there!

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Aus ATC

Aus ATC

Posted
Posted

We found Ocean Liners OK (just). We enjoyed a nice dinner there one evening, and then went back for a lunch "special" a few days later which we felt was disappointing, given the upcharge. Pretty much all the wines on the menu were priced above the Premium Package threshold.

 

On the other hand, we really enjoyed 2 x visits to Tuscan Grille. We found the food really good and the ambience and service really good. Worth the upcharge (particularly of you negotiate a discount - which the staff were generally willing to entertain - think 20-25%)

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villauk

villauk

Posted
Posted
We found Ocean Liners OK (just). We enjoyed a nice dinner there one evening, and then went back for a lunch "special" a few days later which we felt was disappointing, given the upcharge. Pretty much all the wines on the menu were priced above the Premium Package threshold.

 

On the other hand, we really enjoyed 2 x visits to Tuscan Grille. We found the food really good and the ambience and service really good. Worth the upcharge (particularly of you negotiate a discount - which the staff were generally willing to entertain - think 20-25%)

 

They fetched my wine when we dined in OL. I just asked for the type I wanted :).

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conquesodor

conquesodor

Posted
Posted (edited)

Regarding Tuscan Grille, I'm wondering if Celebrity was playing with the concept a little when they put it on Summit? Some of the photos of TG on other ships look different than what I remember, but I could be wrong. Has anyone experienced TG on both the Summit and elsewhere? Any differences in setup and service?

 

Although a few people we chatted with said they loved TG on Summit, when we ate there the dining room was only about 25% full the entire time, which gave a strong impression that most passengers weren't thrilled with the change. (It also could be a coincidence, but Qsine was full when we ate there, and back when I dined in the Olympic, it always seemed to be lively.) The food in TG was good, but as I've already said, the menu and ambiance just didn't feel special. That's subjective of course, and your mileage may differ.

 

We enjoyed Qsine a lot, and while I am looking forward to eating there again on my next cruise, I can understand only wanting to go there once per voyage. Whereas, some of the other options could more easily be repeated.

 

While I love sushi, I will miss Bistro on 5. Can't we have both? :D

 

Another question - has anyone eaten in both the M-class "classic cruise ship" restaurants, as well as Murano on S-class? How would you compare and contrast them? A few descriptions I've read of Murano recently sounded like they had a similar menu and fine dining experience, although without the classic liner ambiance.

Edited by conquesodor
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  • 3 weeks later...
bertrande

bertrande

Posted
Posted
We found Ocean Liners OK (just). We enjoyed a nice dinner there one evening, and then went back for a lunch "special" a few days later which we felt was disappointing, given the upcharge. Pretty much all the wines on the menu were priced above the Premium Package threshold.

 

On the other hand, we really enjoyed 2 x visits to Tuscan Grille. We found the food really good and the ambience and service really good. Worth the upcharge (particularly of you negotiate a discount - which the staff were generally willing to entertain - think 20-25%)

 

How do you negotiate a discount to Tuscan Grille/ Ocean Liners? Do we just go up and ask? Thanks!

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lovescarborough

lovescarborough

Posted
Posted

Discounts for the first night are often on offer at the tables selling packages as you board as the first night is often not well booked. We've also been offered a discount by our waiter at the end of a meal in the speciality restaurants. Also look out for nights when the ship is docked overnight as many people eat off the ship and ask at the restaurant desk or just call them up.

We like the dining packages as they offer a decent discount. We just will not pay the full price. Too expensive !!

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  • 4 weeks later...
Wmp7

Wmp7

Posted
Posted (edited)

I found the following info on cruisemapper.com that addresses the OP question as well as other possible changes to the ship (although these could be occurring after the OP cruises). The sites does not mention the source of the information, and I'm not that familiar with the site. (http://www.cruisemapper.com/deckplans/Celebrity-Constellation-740)

 

The ship’s 2017 refurbishment will result in the following deckplan changes:

 

On Sports deck 12 a new relaxation and entertainment area will be added (aft location) named “Rooftop Terrace” (taking some space from the sundeck area at the stern).

 

On Plaza deck 3, the “Ocean Liners” restaurant will be replaced by Tuscan Grille (steakhouse restaurant at surcharge). Also on Plaza deck 3 a new office for “Future Cruise Sales” will be built (separate from the Captain’s Club) and a new portrait studio will be added. The Cinema will be redesigned to function also as Conference Center.

 

On deck 5 a new retail store was added.

On deck 11 (midship) will be added the Qsine restaurant.

 

Major renovations will be done to all Suite accommodations (in categories Royal Suite and Penthouse Suite), including new furniture and amenities upgrades. Among the changes will be upgraded bathrooms (marble surfaces, comfortable seats, new lighting system), new carpeting, new drapes, new bed linens.

 

Renovations will be done to the Casino (on Promenaded deck 4) and to the adults-only complex “Solarium” (on Lido deck 10). Both areas will receive new furniture and flooring. Also on Lido deck the pool area and the Spa Cafe will be renovated. The Casino’s theme decoration will be removed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited by Wmp7
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dutchclogs

dutchclogs

Posted
Posted

^ Rather puzzled at this. Connie already has Tuscan Grille; if the above is correct, this would be replaced by Qsine and relocated to deck 3?

 

Wonder if this info is up to date. As others have posted, we were told in August that plans had been revised and OceanLiners was staying.

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GCHAN

GCHAN

Posted
Posted
I found the following info on cruisemapper.com that addresses the OP question as well as other possible changes to the ship (although these could be occurring after the OP cruises). The sites does not mention the source of the information, and I'm not that familiar with the site. (http://www.cruisemapper.com/deckplans/Celebrity-Constellation-740)

 

The ship’s 2017 refurbishment will result in the following deckplan changes:

 

On Sports deck 12 a new relaxation and entertainment area will be added (aft location) named “Rooftop Terrace” (taking some space from the sundeck area at the stern).

 

On Plaza deck 3, the “Ocean Liners” restaurant will be replaced by Tuscan Grille (steakhouse restaurant at surcharge). Also on Plaza deck 3 a new office for “Future Cruise Sales” will be built (separate from the Captain’s Club) and a new portrait studio will be added. The Cinema will be redesigned to function also as Conference Center.

 

On deck 5 a new retail store was added.

On deck 11 (midship) will be added the Qsine restaurant.

 

Major renovations will be done to all Suite accommodations (in categories Royal Suite and Penthouse Suite), including new furniture and amenities upgrades. Among the changes will be upgraded bathrooms (marble surfaces, comfortable seats, new lighting system), new carpeting, new drapes, new bed linens.

 

Renovations will be done to the Casino (on Promenaded deck 4) and to the adults-only complex “Solarium” (on Lido deck 10). Both areas will receive new furniture and flooring. Also on Lido deck the pool area and the Spa Cafe will be renovated. The Casino’s theme decoration will be removed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I was also told by one of the officers that the tv/entertainment system is being upgraded.

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florisdekort

florisdekort

Posted
Posted
^ Rather puzzled at this. Connie already has Tuscan Grille; if the above is correct, this would be replaced by Qsine and relocated to deck 3?

 

 

 

Wonder if this info is up to date. As others have posted, we were told in August that plans had been revised and OceanLiners was staying.

 

 

Moving Tuscan Grill to deck 3 and replacing it with Qsine upstairs would be totally consistent with the other M class ships...

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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ECCruise

ECCruise

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am not sure that Constellation information is accurate or up to date.

If you look on Celebrity's website, deck plans for Connie run through April 2018 and do NOT include moving Tuscan to deck 3.

 

We heard from several staff that they were maintaining Ocean Liners on Connie. Never could get my arms around replacing the venue where we had our best meals on a ship (the Ocean Liners on all 4 M class) with the most benign extra cost venue ever (Tuscan Grill). We were told that Tuscan "more fits American tastes" as the reason for change.

 

Thanks, but my "American tastes" will be quite happy at Olive Garden (awful, BTW) if I need to satisfy them rather than pursuing them on a ship, especially at the cost of the loss of a fine dining venue.

 

Of course, believing anything on Celebrity's website is done at your own peril. She is, in fact, scheduled for a dry-dock in May of next year, so who knows.

Edited by ECCruise
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teamflames

teamflames

Posted
Posted
The last "rumour" I heard on this was they "might" split a restaurant an add Qsine. I don't remember Ocean Liners being that big

 

 

Just got off Connie. Ocean liners is quite large and has a private dining room so could be possible. The night we are in there was less than a third full.

We had 3 dinner package. Tuscan food portions were huge, the quality of the produce was very good but we didn't like the sauces found them to be too sweet and nothing resembling true Italian sauces.

Ocean liners was mostly good with some spectacular dishes. Loved the decor. The service was good but some strange things like adding your next course cutlery while you are in the middle of eating.

Sushi in 5 normally a la carte but unlimited under the package but they might change that after how much we ate [emoji28]. Very fresh and very good but restaurant almost empty ... not surprising at the a la carte prices.

 

 

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