New to Celebrity

[Cruiz'nBaers]

We just booked our first cruise with Celebrity, October 6, for 10 days in the Caribbean on the Equinox. We are in a balcony cabin on deck 7. We have 6PM dining, but would like to know about the alternative dining options available to us and what your suggestions would be. We have sailed with HAL and RCCL, with HAL being our preferred line to date. We are looking forward to our Celebrity experience. Any and all information is welcome. Thanks.

[merinski]

We just booked our first cruise with Celebrity' date=' October 6, for 10 days in the Caribbean on the Equinox. We are in a balcony cabin on deck 7. We have 6PM dining, but would like to know about the alternative dining options available to us and what your suggestions would be. We have sailed with HAL and RCCL, with HAL being our preferred line to date. We are looking forward to our Celebrity experience. Any and all information is welcome. Thanks.[/quote']

 

You will love the Equinox!!! We have never gone to any other specialty dinning , we like the MDR. & Buffet, Grill...You can go early and check the menu... Enjoy Celebrity!:)

[champagne123]

We are on the same cruise!!!! ABC Islands with Key West and Grand Cayman thrown in!!!!! Cannot wait. :cool: No specialty restaurants booked. Perfectly happy with the main dining room:cool:.

Edited April 22, 2017 by champagne123
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[jelayne]

The included dining options are:

MDR: breakfast & dinner, lunch on sea days

Oceanview Cafe (buffet): breakfast, lunch and dinner, pizza and pasta available till 12 or1 am

Room Service- 24 hrs although a delivery fee for orders very late night

Mast Grill: hot dogs, burgers, fries 11-6 at the pool.

Aqua Spa Cafe: breakfast & lunch

Cafe Al Bacio: pastries, cookies, croissants free - coffees, teas & drinks are charged.

 

Speciality restaurants - each has a fee: Murano, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest, Sushi on 5 and the Gastropub.

 

Our first Celebrity cruise was on the Equinox we loved it.

[Cruise Raider]

We just booked our first cruise with Celebrity' date=' October 6, for 10 days in the Caribbean on the Equinox. We are in a balcony cabin on deck 7. We have 6PM dining, but would like to know about the alternative dining options available to us and what your suggestions would be. We have sailed with HAL and RCCL, with HAL being our preferred line to date. We are looking forward to our Celebrity experience. Any and all information is welcome. Thanks.[/quote']

 

They have great specialty dining on the Equinox. While the dining room is really a great experience, the specialty restaurants are really fabulous ...just look for special discounts once you board.

The favorite seems to be Muranos but it does come with a price tag of an extra $50 pp for dinner ... but they also have a lunch offered sometimes for around $30 pp. Some of the dishes include table side preparation ... and go hungry! Book early as it is rather difficult to get a 6 PM dining time if you wait until mid-cruise to book.

Tuscan Grille is Italian fare and probably my least favorite of all the specialty restaurants but last time there, it did wow me. Instead of the lobster with pasta, they special made a dish and replaced the pasta with broccoli in an alfredo sauce and it was incredible. I just can't eat that heavy at night and they were so accommodating.

Silk Harvest is actually one of my favorites and they almost always have specials there. I really just can't decide if Murano or Silk Harvest is my absolute favorite ... but if you are in the mood for a little more casual atmosphere and Asian Fusion food, Silk would be your choice. You can usually get a discount here. Be sure to try the chili shrimp as an appetizer. It is really awesome.

 

My neighbors joined us on a cruise on the Equinox in February and they wanted to try the Bistro on Five ... which is a sushi place. They said it was really good ...just not my type of food so we didn't know. But, she is picky about her food and still really liked it.

 

I have heard that the Gastro Bar has really great appetizers and pub style food but have never tried it personally.

 

I like the buffet once or twice during a cruise ... they have some really great stations open for dinner where you can get your pasta or stir fry made to order. They had a ceviche bar available last time there ... but I got a little bowl of shrimp / scallops and had them add it to my stir fry instead. They also have a carving station, pizza, mexican, indian and salad bars available as well.

 

Not open for dinner pe say but late into the afternoon, there are always burgers, hot dogs and sausages available at the mast grill. They also have turkey and vegetarian options available as well ... along with fries, sauteed mushroom and grilled onions.

The Aqua Spa Cafe is also complementary but closed in the late afternoon and has mostly healthier fare options on small plates available. So, if you feel like skipping dinner in one of the dining rooms, the buffet, the mast grill or the buffet might suit your needs. The buffet is the only one of these three free options that stays open late, though.

[Cruiz'nBaers]

We are on the same cruise!!!! ABC Islands with Key West and Grand Cayman thrown in!!!!! Cannot wait. :cool: No specialty restaurants booked. Perfectly happy with the main dining room:cool:.

Is there a roll call for this cruise? I can't seem to find it, if there is one.

 

Besides the dining, are there any other things we should check out. We are fairly active early 60's.

[Cruiz'nBaers]

The included dining options are:

MDR: breakfast & dinner, lunch on sea days

Oceanview Cafe (buffet): breakfast, lunch and dinner, pizza and pasta available till 12 or1 am

Room Service- 24 hrs although a delivery fee for orders very late night

Mast Grill: hot dogs, burgers, fries 11-6 at the pool.

Aqua Spa Cafe: breakfast & lunch

Cafe Al Bacio: pastries, cookies, croissants free - coffees, teas & drinks are charged.

 

 

 

Speciality restaurants - each has a fee: Murano, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest, Sushi on 5 and the Gastropub.

 

Our first Celebrity cruise was on the Equinox we loved it.

Thank you, sounds wonderful.

[4774Papa]

We have only dined in a Celebrity specialty restaurant three times in 9 cruises. Twice, the meals were at no cost, since we were in a suite. Celebrity's MDR dining is rated the best among main line cruise lines and we just don't see the need to not eat at the MDR in deference to an expensive specialty meal.

 

We have eaten at the Buffet once or twice when we were late coming back from a tour/excursion. Celebrity does have some great choices like great Indian food at the buffet.

[varoo]

Is there a roll call for this cruise? I can't seem to find it' date=' if there is one. .[/quote']

Yes, it is quite a long one that already has over 800 posts.

 

Here is a link to it:

Celebrity Equinox to the ABC islands! October 6th, 2017!

[keesar]

The Speciality Restaurants are overpriced in my opinion. If I were to go to one, it would be Murano. Try to get a discount which can vary from 20-30% when offered.

 

Another good option is the buffet for dinner. Check the Daily Program and they will list the theme for the night. There may be a Caribbean, Mexican, German, British, Italian night. Several regular items nightly like Indian food. Much more casual than the MDR for dinner.

[Cruise Raider]

The Speciality Restaurants are overpriced in my opinion. If I were to go to one, it would be Murano. Try to get a discount which can vary from 20-30% when offered.

.

 

I do agree .. they really come with a hefty price tag.

However, we sailed in Feb-Mar and they had a package - 4 dinners for $124 or something like that. You used to only be able to go to one of each and twice to the one of their choosing (usually Silk Harvest) but now for that price, you can go to Murano all 4 times if you want. We still did one of each and twice at Murano so felt like we still got a bit of a bargain. Murano, at $50 pp is just so expensive but I do love that restaurant ...so at approx $30 pp seemed a lot more reasonable.

[Shorty52]

Is there a roll call for this cruise? I can't seem to find it' date=' if there is one.

 

Besides the dining, are there any other things we should check out. We are fairly active early 60's.[/quote']

 

 

Yes, there is a Roll Call. My husband and I are also sailing on Oct 6!! Looking forward to meeting everyone

[bbappel]

Whatever you do, I don't recommend changing to Select dining unless you are traveling with lots of others. We booked Select on our 2014 Equinox Caribbean cruise after having enjoyed Select dining on our 2013 Eclipse Azores-Canary Islands cruise. On the Eclipse, we were seated every night at a table for 6-8 - often there were repeats, but we never had trouble being seated at a large table. On the Equinox, our last ever Caribbean cruise, in part because of this, every single night when we checked in the hostesses said we could have a table for two (this despite our having made reservations for a table for 6-8). It resulted in my dreading going to dinner since I knew our wishes would be ignored. We have booked MDR early dining since then, despite the fact that Celebrity caters much entertainment to Select or Late diners. We can cope with that, but not with dining by ourselves every night. We do that at home.

Beth

[champagne123]

Whatever you do, I don't recommend changing to Select dining unless you are traveling with lots of others. We booked Select on our 2014 Equinox Caribbean cruise after having enjoyed Select dining on our 2013 Eclipse Azores-Canary Islands cruise. On the Eclipse, we were seated every night at a table for 6-8 - often there were repeats, but we never had trouble being seated at a large table. On the Equinox, our last ever Caribbean cruise, in part because of this, every single night when we checked in the hostesses said we could have a table for two (this despite our having made reservations for a table for 6-8). It resulted in my dreading going to dinner since I knew our wishes would be ignored. We have booked MDR early dining since then, despite the fact that Celebrity caters much entertainment to Select or Late diners. We can cope with that, but not with dining by ourselves every night. We do that at home.

Beth

Lol.....we are just the opposite. After being the social butterflies that we are all day, dinner is the time we just like to unwind and be alone. (unless we are cruising with friends and family). This is the reason we chose "Select Dining". Hoping for a table for two on our next cruise, so your information was valuable to me. Thank you...:cool:

[champagne123]

Is there a roll call for this cruise? I can't seem to find it' date=' if there is one.

 

Besides the dining, are there any other things we should check out. We are fairly active early 60's.[/quote']

I see that someone already provided the link for our Roll Call. There are many activities planned for this cruise, so when you get a chance, try to skim through and sign up for anything that may interest you. We are going to have a blast on this cruise. It seems that most of us are in the same age group also! :cool:

[CRZR58]

We were on Equinox in November.

 

Didn't think the MDR was very good. Food, service and wine stewards were below X standards by a long shot. Think large banquet and you'll be happy. Think fine dining and you won't.

 

We used select dining and we did the reservations online prior to boarding. IMO that's the way to go if you want to dine between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM and not have to wait to get a table. (Still had to wait the first 2 nights, but hopefully they've gone to 2 lines (With and Without Reservations) like Reflection.

 

Didn't do any specialty dining on Equinox, but we loved the Tuscan Grille on other ships. The upcharge, especially when you get a discount, is worth the far superior meal and service to us.

 

Ate dinner at the buffet once on Equinox. Food was good and we liked eating out under the stars at the back of the ship. Quieter than the MDR and the food quality was as good, maybe better. Of course you don't get the same service.

[fhp123]

Am I correct that Cafe Bacio you can get free cakes/cookies/pastries? Is there a charge for basic coffee or tea? Or is there only a charge for cappuccino, espresso and specialty coffee?

[Cruise Raider]

Am I correct that Cafe Bacio you can get free cakes/cookies/pastries? Is there a charge for basic coffee or tea? Or is there only a charge for cappuccino, espresso and specialty coffee?

 

Yes, the snacks are without charge, whether or not you purchase a beverage. All beverages here will have a charge, though.

[TeeRick]

Am I correct that Cafe Bacio you can get free cakes/cookies/pastries? Is there a charge for basic coffee or tea? Or is there only a charge for cappuccino, espresso and specialty coffee?

 

If you have a beverage package classic or premium no charge for any type of coffee beverage or tea.