Luminae-is it worth it

[tori0417]

Hi everyone,

 

My husband and I are seriously considering booking a sky suite and one of the major draws is Luminae; so our question is...how great is it? We typically do speciality dining 2-3x a cruise which we would skip if we dined in Luminae. Any other suite reviews that can push us one way or the other? We are not new to cruising, but the suite would we new to us. Our son would be cruising with us too, so the extra room is always welcomed! Lol

Thanks!!!

 

 

 

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[NCHPcruiser]

Booking a suite (usually a sky suite) is worth it to us. While having the additional space is nice we choose suites primarily because of Luminae and Michaels Club. You will get a wide range of answers to your question and the only way to find out if it's worth it to YOU is to try it once to find out. I doubt you'll regret it even if you don't book a suite again.

[TeeRick]

IMO Luminae is definitely worth it and is better than many specialty restaurants. Of course you will get some comments here from some who also dislike Luminae but the overall comments on Luminae are generally quite positive. Try it and see for yourself.

[sippican]

We absolutely love Luminae (although on our recent Summit cruise, they failed miserably) and the perks that come with a sky suite.

 

On an upcoming cruise we just couldn't justify the cost of a Sky Suite. The price difference will allow us to purchase a drink package and do specialty dining each evening with plenty left over.

[Karynanne]

We usually book a Sky Suite. Originally it was for the additional space. Closet and drawer space, specifically. With the addition of Luminae, that decision became a bonus. The food is very good. They’ll create a dish for you , upon request, if desired, and the quiet atmosphere is a huge plus for us. If price isn’t your deciding factor, then book the Sky Suite.

 

 

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[Gracie115]

In a word...YES

[prim8keeper]

We made the jump to sky suites when Luminae was introduced a few years ago with Luminae being the main thing that attracted us. We had grown tired of Blu and even the specialty restaurants were getting old. We really don't need the extra cabin space, but it is nice and we find ourselves relaxing in our cabin more now. We found access to Luminae to be more than worth than the price of the suite along with the other suite benefits.

 

Like you, we previously were dining in specialty restaurants a few times during our cruises. At that time we were booking Aqua class or concierge cabins. We now think that Luminae is better than the specialty restaurants and Blu as least for us. I would say give it a try and see how you like it. Worst case if you don't enjoy it at least you are getting more space for the three of you!

[jagoffee]

Of course it depends on the price difference, but we believe is worth significantly more. I love the flexibility of ordering from the Luminae menu or the MDR menu. I really need my Celebrity Escargot.

Most cruises offer the Best (four perks) for the price of the Big with a suite booking. (Built into the pricing). This adds value IMO, but it makes the cost comparison a little more difficult.

 

By the way the Luminae/MDR option is so nice, that even on those times when we have unlimited speciality dining (benefit of a Royal Suite), we enjoy dinner in Luminae half the time.

 

Give it a try if it is affordable for you. Good luck and enjoy.

[nancyshaw]

Just know that eating in the MDR can be a crap shoot. It may be ok, but on our last 3 cruises, it was unacceptable. We ate in the OVC, for 11 our of 14 nights, where fish and steaks were grilled to order and it was absolutely delicious.

[jelayne]

We have previously enjoyed Luminae for the service and quieter dining room. We have found the menu choice limited so about half the time we order from the MDR menu or went to Blu.

 

 

On our recent B2B Luminae was very noisy & crowded and the food quality of the items from the Luminae menu had declined. Post cruise survey rated food at 7 & service a 8. We are hoping this was a anomaly as we have a suite booked for next winter.

[mellapl]

The other great thing about Luminae is that with 24 hour notice you can have anything you want to eat if the ingredient is on board the ship.

[WNcruiser]

Luminae was a let down on our last Equinox cruise. We are not picky eaters at all, but had to send several dishes back for being cooked improperly or not being as described. Service was hit and miss. One waiter was actually argumentative with me about the desserts, which I found to be mostly disappointing.

 

We are going back to Aqua/Blu for our upcoming Med cruise because we enjoy the more intimate restaurant with much less cost.

[Quo Vadis?]

On a recent cruise we skipped Luminae to dine in Blu at least half the time. I prefer appetizers to the entree and the choice in Blu is more extensive.

 

We would not pay the $$$ to upgrade from Blu and would rather eat in the specialty dining rooms on other nights.

 

However there is a certain value to Michael's Club access unless one already has the beverage package.

 

Sky suites on the M-class ships are barely larger than "ordinary cabins.

On S-class however there are some very nice locations even if one has to learn how to pole dance. ;)

[bjahil47]

Luminae food is very good and presented beautifully. I have to eat gluten free and the menu items are not labeled as they are in Main Dining Menu. It is a pain to keep asking what I can eat. Half the time I order off that menu. Also, whenever I ask the night before for a modification to be made to make a food gluten free I have been told it can’t be done. This has been on last 3 cruises.

[20pluscruises]

Luminae was a let down on our last Equinox cruise. We are not picky eaters at all, but had to send several dishes back for being cooked improperly or not being as described. Service was hit and miss. One waiter was actually argumentative with me about the desserts, which I found to be mostly disappointing.

 

We are going back to Aqua/Blu for our upcoming Med cruise because we enjoy the more intimate restaurant with much less cost.

 

Agree! Loved Luminae on the Silhouette in November 2017- very disappointed with Luminae on the Equinox in March 2018. After the raw lobster we never returned.

[delondin]

Access to Michael's club and the concierge is worthwhile. The Concierge always has your back.

[sippican]

Luminae food is very good and presented beautifully. I have to eat gluten free and the menu items are not labeled as they are in Main Dining Menu. It is a pain to keep asking what I can eat. Half the time I order off that menu. Also, whenever I ask the night before for a modification to be made to make a food gluten free I have been told it can’t be done. This has been on last 3 cruises.

 

I just had a very long conversation with Julie Waring in Customer Care about this same issue. Our recent sailing on the Summit was most disappointing as far as eating gluten-free in Luminae. I ended up ordering off rhe MDR menu or eating at the Spa Cafe. What items they did prepare in Luminae "especially for me" were horrible, and I did end up getting sick. I agree, the menu should be clearly marked. Our assistant server was the only one in Luminae who made an effort, even running up to Oceanview to bring me some desserts.

There is no reason at all that they cannot meet the needs of diet-restricted patrons in Luminae within reason.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I am fascinated by all those who book suites.

 

I just checked our 2020 b2b and the total in Canadian dollars amounts to $7286 for an inside and $19,846 for a skysuite.

 

Do you think Luminae is worth the difference?????

[Gracie115]

Luminae was a let down on our last Equinox cruise. We are not picky eaters at all, but had to send several dishes back for being cooked improperly or not being as described. Service was hit and miss. One waiter was actually argumentative with me about the desserts, which I found to be mostly disappointing.

 

We are going back to Aqua/Blu for our upcoming Med cruise because we enjoy the more intimate restaurant with much less cost.

 

Agree! Loved Luminae on the Silhouette in November 2017- very disappointed with Luminae on the Equinox in March 2018. After the raw lobster we never returned.

 

 

I find these 2 comments interesting. We have been in Luminae on Eclipse, Reflection and Equinox. Service on all three was wonderful. Food was excellent on Eclipse & Reflection but the Equinox was not as good. Several dishes were prepared very differently(not better) than on the other 2 ships. We still had a wonderful time and will be back on Eclipse in just a week and hoping for the same experience we had on our first Eclipse trip.

[Geoff&Louise]

For us, Luminae was the highlight of our cruise on the Eclipse last year, and the reason we have booked a Sky Suite again for our next Celebrity cruise.

[Quo Vadis?]

I am fascinated by all those who book suites.

 

I just checked our 2020 b2b and the total in Canadian dollars amounts to $7286 for an inside and $19' date='846 for a skysuite.

 

Do you think Luminae is worth the difference?????[/quote']

 

How many ways can one say no unless one has many $$$$US$ to say, well Luminae was great.

 

One could stay three times as long and still get fed well elsewhere...

[markeb]

We just sailed in our first Sky Suite, ironically from a previous post, on Equinox in March. Generally, we loved Luminae. I'm a little mixed on Luminae versus Blu, but the overall experience in Luminae was wonderful. We thought the food was very good, although my wife did order the MDR Caesar salad instead of the Luminae appetizers a few times.

 

I don't know if it's the norm, but we really appreciated never having to pull out our SeaPass cards in Luminae. One of the last straws for us with Royal Caribbean was trying to have a glass of wine in the MDR and just getting the "card", not card please, or may I have your SeaPass, with EVERY drink, not closing a tab at the end of the meal.

 

"Worth it" is always an interesting calculus, however...

[markeb]

I am fascinated by all those who book suites.

 

I just checked our 2020 b2b and the total in Canadian dollars amounts to $7286 for an inside and $19' date='846 for a skysuite.

 

Do you think Luminae is worth the difference?????[/quote']

 

Of course not. Is the totality of the suite experience "worth the difference"? Clearly to many, including us, but we're also not doing B2Bs and are cutting down on our cruising to probably every other year to do something else land-based. We have a Sky Suite on Edge for a week for about what you're paying for an inside for two weeks. Yep, that's a big markup, but we can do that every couple of years (an another ship would have been much more affordable, but the timing and itineraries didn't work).

[8mma]

We LOVED Luminae! Just recently off of Solstice and can't recommend it enough. The food was delicious and the staff was amazing. Michael's Club was also wonderful - went there everyday for drinks and enjoyed talking with Callie the concierge and Ksenia the bartender - they will do anything they can for you to make your trip perfect! The extra space in the cabin is great - I think it is definately worth it to book a Sky Suite - at least for us. I do not think you will be disappointed!

[bEwAbG]

I am fascinated by all those who book suites.

 

I just checked our 2020 b2b and the total in Canadian dollars amounts to $7286 for an inside and $19' date='846 for a skysuite.

 

Do you think Luminae is worth the difference?????[/quote']

 

How many nights? To where? How many ports? Bucket list trip or just floating around to float somewhere? All of those questions would affect the answer.

 

 

How many ways can one say no unless one has many $$$$US$ to say, well Luminae was great.

 

One could stay three times as long and still get fed well elsewhere...

 

It's a value judgement unique to each individual. Not all of us have the time off to sail for weeks and weeks. So if someone is doing one one-week cruise, that's a different calculation from someone who wants to spend several weeks at sea spread out over the year.