What custom dishes have you ordered in Luminae?

[towel-animal]

I've read that if given 24 hours notice, Luminae can prepared off-menu dishes on request. I'm curious to know what such dishes people have ordered on their past cruises that they'd recommend. Huge foodie here and am looking for some inspiration for my upcoming cruise 🙂

[PTCruizer]

Last cruise pre-covid on the Edge, the waitstaff in Luminae learned that my wife loved carpaccio for an appetizer. They subsequently brought her a plate every evening as soon as she arrived. Luminae was definitely the best overall dining we've had on any cruise.

[gbphipps]

Would they do a Grand Marnier soufflé?  We are on the 24th and 31st cruises on the Edge in the Retreat for my birthday and I would love a Grand Marnier soufflé to celebrate!

[bigbenboys]

Spaghetti noodles with pesto sauce. I also had them turn a shrimp appetizer into a entrée dish, after I did not like my pork entrée dish.

[39august]

I believe I have read that steak diane has been ordered.

[Jim_Iain]

I've had Steak Diane a number of times and one evening on a B2B2B the chef suggested Shrimp Scampi which was excellent.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Can fermented shark be ordered? 😅

[bajathree]

A couple weeks ago I asked for a steak salad for lunch. The made be a very nice filet and sliced it on top of one of the salads...delicious.

[OUBaylor1]

2 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Can fermented shark be ordered? 😅

Did you see Gordon Ramsay"s Uncharterded?

[abbydancer2003]

I've had a modified Luminae burger - half the meat, cut horizontally.  Next time (later this month I think) I'll ask for it with a kids burger.  My sister has also had them modify it to make it a grill cheese sandwich - ie grilled cheese with the bacon onion jam.

 

 

[Denny01]

Keep the list going! I finally booked a Sky Suite for our Oct 2022 TA and this all sound fantastic!

 

den

[NutsAboutGolf]

37 minutes ago, OUBaylor1 said:

Did you see Gordon Ramsay"s Uncharterded?

 

Ha ha...From wiki:

 

[ClaudiaB]

It wouldn't be considered custom but I have gone into Luminae for lunch and asked for a plate of mixed greens and a grilled chicken breast or salmon cut up on top, and some vinaigrette on the side.   On both occasions they kept wanting to bring me some extra food, not thinking this was enough lunch.   

 

 

 

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

 

Pasta dish from the (currently closed) buffet pasta station?

[TommyD3]

I was in Luminae on Eclipse for 21 days a few years ago and was told by the manager that I was not allowed to order anything other than what was on the Luminae or MDR menu. Never again !!!

[jcpc]

In Luminae, I've asked for Chicken Parm several times and was always accommodated.  Chicken Parm is, I know, a simple dish but I really enjoy it and on several different cruises the Luminae manager had no problem accommodating me.  A friend also asked for baked stuffed shrimp, and received it.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by jcpc

[abbydancer2003]

19 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

I was in Luminae on Eclipse for 21 days a few years ago and was told by the manager that I was not allowed to order anything other than what was on the Luminae or MDR menu. Never again !!!

I was on the Eclipse in 2019 for 14, and on the first day they said to let them know if there was anything we wanted that wasn't on the menu.  (We asked for the little treat that they had on the Reflection between main course and dessert, and we got it every night for the rest of the cruise).

[miched]

38 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

I was in Luminae on Eclipse for 21 days a few years ago and was told by the manager that I was not allowed to order anything other than what was on the Luminae or MDR menu. Never again !!!

i have read about people getting special dinners and asked about it many times on different cruises.   Was told the same that they don’t do that.

Also never had any luck getting any special liquor or wine in the lounge as others have claimed to do 

 

I guess we aren’t special enough. 🤷‍♂️😫

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Edited July 15, 2021 by miched

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, miched said:

i have read about people getting special dinners and asked about it many times on different cruises.   Was told the same that they don’t do that.

Also never had any luck getting any special liquor or wine in the lounge as others have claimed to do 

 

I guess we aren’t special enough. 🤷‍♂️😫

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Nothing to do with you, everything to do with staff attitudes.

 

Whilst we have never had really bad service on any cruise we have been on cruises where service was good but not personalised and on others where the staff were really keen to go ‘above and beyond’. Staff that genuinely want you to leave their restaurant with that feeling of ‘wow’...Staff that seem to be able to anticipate what will change a good to a great experience.

 

If we ever want an off menu item in Luminae we always ask the day before. We would never expect them to do anything last minute unless it was something easy to sort like a starter as an entree. 

 

We have found attitudes to drinks in the Retreat varied....

 

On one cruise (Reflection) on the first night I requested a particular sherry which they said they didn’t stock and offered me an alternative. No big deal. However, another cruise (Eclipse) I again asked for the same sherry which they didn’t have (no big deal I ordered something else). As I was sipping my alternative drink the waitress came back into the lounge triumphantly carrring a bottle saying ‘I now have some, but there is not much on board so I am keeping it under the bar just for you!’. 

 

Best ever restaurant service for us was in Murano and Tuscan last cruise (Equinox). Quite simply they couldn’t do enough for us.....

 

 

 

 

[CambsCruiser82]

On our Jul 3 Silhouette cruise, the staff in Luminae were superb. Nothing we asked for was too much trouble including off menu salads, cocktails and even managing to source some gelato that wasn't on the menu but we'd had elsewhere on the ship. They also remembered each day our preferences and asked if we'd like salad x to be made up for us again. 

Honestly, I was bowled over by their service! Give them notice and I bet there's not much they can't pull off for you!

[wrk2cruise]

Notice is key.   Don't sit down for a meal and decide you feel like something off menu.  If they have it in the kitchen like the everyday items or an app as an entree then they will generally accommodate.  Most off menu things would require additional items from the pantry which is not practical to gather during service.

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

I was in Luminae on Eclipse for 21 days a few years ago and was told by the manager that I was not allowed to order anything other than what was on the Luminae or MDR menu. Never again !!!

Perhaps true for you on that cruise.  But your experiences seems to be contrary to the majority of comments on this thread.  Were you told that you had to order from Luminae or MDR menu for that current meal?  If so, that is the common situation and response.  Although the Luminae staff will try to accommodate even those off menu requests if they are able.  But were you told that you could not order a special request for the next night or later in the week? Unless the request is highly unusual they usually accommodate this type of request.  Sorry it did not work out for you.

[miched]

48 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Perhaps true for you on that cruise.  But your experiences seems to be contrary to the majority of comments on this thread.  Were you told that you had to order from Luminae or MDR menu for that current meal?  If so, that is the common situation and response.  Although the Luminae staff will try to accommodate even those off menu requests if they are able.  But were you told that you could not order a special request for the next night or later in the week? Unless the request is highly unusual they usually accommodate this type of request.  Sorry it did not work out for you.

Every time told the server that we heard others say they could get a special dinner if ordered in advance and we told that it wasn’t true and not possible.   This was on different cruises and ships. 
 

We no longer ask.   Same in the retreat lounge.  My wife asked for a wine that she was  served in Luminae.  She was told that they don’t stock it and it isn’t available.   We don’t ask demanding it or being rude.  We just ask if they have it.  Left it at that and got something else.  
 

Then sometimes at a regular bar if we ask for something and they don’t have it they will get it.    I asked for a Sierra Nevada beer at the pool bar.  They didn’t stock it.  The BT said he would get some.  I said don’t bother it is OK.   He insisted.    I waited for him to get some.  The next day going to that bar he seen me and gave one as soon as I walked up.  He said he had  a private stash for me.    On the last day of that  cruise I told him that they next time he sees me that he will remember me and the beer.   I was doing. B2B.   
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[slanik]

We were on the Millennium out of St Maarten a few weeks ago.  While the meal was not custom, on Lobster night the waitress offered the butter poached lobster from Luminea and the beef wellington from the MDR as a surf and turf option.   I had that and my husband had a combo of scallops from Luminea and rack of lamb from the MDR.  Luminea was the best part of being in a sky suite.  The suite lounge and the concierge was nice too.   

[amcb]

Just now, slanik said:

We were on the Millennium out of St Maarten a few weeks ago.  While the meal was not custom, on Lobster night the waitress offered the butter poached lobster from Luminea and the beef wellington from the MDR as a surf and turf option.   I had that and my husband had a combo of scallops from Luminea and rack of lamb from the MDR.  Luminea was the best part of being in a sky suite.  The suite lounge and the concierge was nice too.   

That sounds wonderful and answers the question I was just about to ask.  We are on Summit in a week and a half and I wasn't sure if it was too much to ask for an appetizer from Blu or MDR and entree from Luminae or vice versa. It sounds like on the Millennium class ships it's very doable. 

 

🙂 amcb