What custom dishes have you ordered in Luminae?

[Jim_Iain]

Also one one cruise a number of our friends were very fond of Indian Curries.   The Restaurant Manager who was Indian volunteered to cook  some curry dishes himself.   He served 3 or  4 different nights in addition to what  was ordered.   This wasn't a request it was offered an he was very proud of his cooking skills.

 

I'm not a curry fan and passed on the eating any.

[abbydancer2003]

55 minutes ago, amcb said:

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

Are you on the 24th?  I'm on the 31st, and am curious who the retreat staff is (hostess, luminae manager, and concierge).  I'd love it if you'd circle back and let me know.

 

 

[dkjretired]

20 hours ago, gbphipps said:

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!

I got one in Luminae, it was not the same as in Murano, basically they gave me a soufflé with the grand mariner. It was okay and I appreciated the effort.

[Lastdance]

My husband and I ordered Chateaubriand; it was perfectly cooked and delicious!

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Also one one cruise a number of our friends were very fond of Indian Curries.   The Restaurant Manager who was Indian volunteered to cook  some curry dishes himself.   He served 3 or  4 different nights in addition to what  was ordered.   This wasn't a request it was offered an he was very proud of his cooking skills.

 

I'm not a curry fan and passed on the eating any.

Nice!  I'd be up for that. I love Indian food and bet it was cooked very authentically. Pass me a papadam!

 

Phil 

[amcb]

Just now, abbydancer said:

Are you on the 24th?  I'm on the 31st, and am curious who the retreat staff is (hostess, luminae manager, and concierge).  I'd love it if you'd circle back and let me know.

 

 

You bet! I will do my best to take notes and report back. 

 

🙂 amcb

[DCPIV]

3 hours ago, amcb said:

You bet! I will do my best to take notes and report back. 

 

🙂 amcb

 

Please do. We'll also be dining in Luminae on the Summit come the 31st. 😃

[dcbiker97]

We’ve also had several Indian meals prepared for us over the years.  However it’s not a guarantee because I think at least one maitre’d has said that they won’t because it would smell up the restaurant. So it all comes down to the individual staff in the ship as to how much out of their way they will go.  

[goldsmip115]

Can I respectfully request that everyone take a pause on this thread before it “takes on a life of its own.”  We’re all so excited to get back to cruising.  I suspect there are many “newbies” to the retreat/Luminae experience due to many saved FCC ‘s or a large travel budget due to savings from lack of any travel during Covid.  Couple this with the fact that the cruise staff is settling in, getting fully staffed and the retreat seems to be almost or fully sold out in spite of lower occupancy rates on the cruise overall.

 

Luminae is a wonderful dining experience and those of us fortunate to sail in the suites need to appreciate that.  If we come in expecting to be catered to with special requests even several times each sailing we will overwhelm the wonderful staff in the dining room and the kitchen.  This will stress them and diminish the experience for everyone.  It’s a balance but I fear that this thread will spread and set up unreasonable expectations and demands that will stress staff and disappoint guests.

 

I can share one personal experience.  During my first of numerous sailings in the PS one evening the maitre D noticed I only ordered an appetizer and salad. He expressed concern and asked what I wanted and I stated that I was in the mood for veal parm but the salad and app were fine.  I did not ask for anything but 30 minutes later a huge platter of veal parm appeared in front of me.  It was enough for 4 people.  He was clearly stressed and I felt horrible that he had gone to all of that trouble.

 

We all want a great experience, we are all vacation deprived.  Some have rightfully pointed out the high prices of the suites.  But please manage your expectations and be grateful for sailing in the retreat.

[abbydancer2003]

13 minutes ago, goldsmip115 said:

Can I respectfully request that everyone take a pause on this thread before it “takes on a life of its own.”  We’re all so excited to get back to cruising.  I suspect there are many “newbies” to the retreat/Luminae experience due to many saved FCC ‘s or a large travel budget due to savings from lack of any travel during Covid.  Couple this with the fact that the cruise staff is settling in, getting fully staffed and the retreat seems to be almost or fully sold out in spite of lower occupancy rates on the cruise overall.

 

Luminae is a wonderful dining experience and those of us fortunate to sail in the suites need to appreciate that.  If we come in expecting to be catered to with special requests even several times each sailing we will overwhelm the wonderful staff in the dining room and the kitchen.  This will stress them and diminish the experience for everyone.  It’s a balance but I fear that this thread will spread and set up unreasonable expectations and demands that will stress staff and disappoint guests.

 

 

I get what you are saying, but may I respectfully disagree?

 

You don't know when people here are sailing.  If they are sailing in late 2022, hopefully this will no longer be "settling in", etc.  People simply want to know what kinds of things can be done.

That said, we should all understand that these should be requests, not demands.  And if the staff says they can't do it, then the can't do it, and we should all respect that.  For some, who may never be in a suite again, it's nice to know what may be possible.

 

And if you don't think this thread should continue, you do have the option to ignore.  I like hearing what people did.  I may not ask for anything in 2021, but maybe on my 2023 cruises.

 

 

[towel-animal]

47 minutes ago, goldsmip115 said:

Can I respectfully request that everyone take a pause on this thread before it “takes on a life of its own.” .

 

 

We all want a great experience, we are all vacation deprived.  Some have rightfully pointed out the high prices of the suites.  But please manage your expectations and be grateful for sailing in the retreat.

While undoubtedly  well-intentioned, your post is both inappropriate and over dramatic. Chances of a flock of Cruise Critic users all on the same sailing overwhelming.Luminae are next to none. And as the previous posted pointed out, by the time many sail the settling in period will likely be eel behind us. 
 

Everyone please continue to post their dining requests without hesitation 😊

[Denny01]

I’ve not gone Retreat yet and have my initial one set for Oct 2022 on a TA, mainly as Goldsmip115 suggests because we shelved 4 cruises in 2020/21 so we decided a Suite on a TA with many At Sea days would be The Way to try it, especially on the Edge. 

 

With that said, the only pause I’d like others to take is to go eat dinner, talk more about the special dining experiences in the Retreat and Keep Posting! I have no problem with anyone just telling us about an on-menu home runs also! 

 

I looked at the menu and just can’t wait! We are all so lucky to be able to experience this, and I have a feeling that since many of the Suite cruisers are experienced cruisers, they won’t be overloading the staff and if there isn’t a way of meeting some request, it will be handled quite nicely.

 

As to the earlier post about the Maitre de bringing the special veal, on one cruise, our waiter had been a head Maitre de previously but came back as a regular waiter because he wanted to only cruise on ships out of Turkey/Greece (home!). I didn’t order desert because of overeating and he pressed it a bit and I said no thanks. Later that evening as we returned to our SR, there was our desert! More than once, so I knew either eat it now or later. 

 

So yes, we are all well aware of what it takes the staff to ‘go beyond’, but in so many ways it occurs over and over…….on Celebrity!

 

So keep it up. I’m taking notes and I promise I will only order 1 or 2…..on this cruise!

 

den

[TommyD3]

12 hours 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.

I was told I could not get a filet mignon even if ordered way in advance. One night we went to Blu because they had filet mignon. The waiter asked the next night and we explained but instead of saying "I can get that for you in the future", he did not care !!!! I also asked the manager and she said that I could not get filet mignon unless it was on the Luminae menu that meal !!!

The interesting thing is when invited to dine in Luminae by a senior officer I have no problem getting filet mignon !!!

Edited July 16, 2021 by TommyD3

[TeeRick]

11 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

I was told I could not get a filet mignon even if ordered way in advance. One night we went to Blu because they had filet mignon. The waiter asked the next night and we explained but instead of saying "I can get that for you in the future", he did not care !!!! I also asked the manager and she said that I could not get filet mignon unless it was on the Luminae menu that meal !!!

The interesting thing is when invited to dine in Luminae by a senior officer I have no problem getting filet mignon !!!

I am not doubting your experience.  It seems that perhaps on certain ships the Luminae staff is less accommodating for whatever reason.  It happens.   It has not been my experience though.  

[TeeRick]

13 hours ago, goldsmip115 said:

Can I respectfully request that everyone take a pause on this thread before it “takes on a life of its own.”  We’re all so excited to get back to cruising.  I suspect there are many “newbies” to the retreat/Luminae experience due to many saved FCC ‘s or a large travel budget due to savings from lack of any travel during Covid.  Couple this with the fact that the cruise staff is settling in, getting fully staffed and the retreat seems to be almost or fully sold out in spite of lower occupancy rates on the cruise overall.

 

Luminae is a wonderful dining experience and those of us fortunate to sail in the suites need to appreciate that.  If we come in expecting to be catered to with special requests even several times each sailing we will overwhelm the wonderful staff in the dining room and the kitchen.  This will stress them and diminish the experience for everyone.  It’s a balance but I fear that this thread will spread and set up unreasonable expectations and demands that will stress staff and disappoint guests.

 

I can share one personal experience.  During my first of numerous sailings in the PS one evening the maitre D noticed I only ordered an appetizer and salad. He expressed concern and asked what I wanted and I stated that I was in the mood for veal parm but the salad and app were fine.  I did not ask for anything but 30 minutes later a huge platter of veal parm appeared in front of me.  It was enough for 4 people.  He was clearly stressed and I felt horrible that he had gone to all of that trouble.

 

We all want a great experience, we are all vacation deprived.  Some have rightfully pointed out the high prices of the suites.  But please manage your expectations and be grateful for sailing in the retreat.

goldsmip115 nice thoughts. But IMO, I don't think we will overwhelm the Luminae staff either now (with reduced passenger capacity) or in the future.  There are likely very few truly special or unusual requests I think per given night.  Asking to order from the MDR menu is not special and not a staff burden on M-Class or S-Class ships with a shared kitchen with Luminae.  In fact they tell you this on the first night as an option to you. Asking for a special request 24 hr in advance can be planned and accommodated.  They tell you this too.  Or they can simply decline the request if they cannot do it.   That being said there are certain people on every cruise that are particularly fussy and demanding.  Both in Luminae and elsewhere.  Part of what the crew deals with and are trained to deal with.  I have seen in my day more demanding people making scenes in the MDR than in Luminae.

[39august]

It is my understanding that one can order the 4 oz. filet from the childrens' menu any time. Is this not correct, please?

[TommyD3]

5 minutes ago, 39august said:

It is my understanding that one can order the 4 oz. filet from the childrens' menu any time. Is this not correct, please?

Yes I think that is correct. One can order two !!!

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes ago, 39august said:

It is my understanding that one can order the 4 oz. filet from the childrens' menu any time. Is this not correct, please?

 

The 4oz filet is also on the (Edge's) MDR kids menu

Edited July 16, 2021 by NutsAboutGolf

[Caribbean Chris]

I THINK this goes without saying but I’ll apologize in advance if I offend anyone by saying it.

 

It’s customary to tip extra for extra services, and generally a good idea to do it on the way out that evening with your verbal thanks.

 

(Not as in ordering off the MDR menu, but ordering steak Diane prepared at your table.)

Edited July 16, 2021 by Caribbean Chris

[TeeRick]

30 minutes ago, Caribbean Chris said:

I THINK this goes without saying but I’ll apologize in advance if I offend anyone by saying it.

 

It’s customary to tip extra for extra services, and generally a good idea to do it on the way out that evening with your verbal thanks.

 

(Not as in ordering off the MDR menu, but ordering steak Diane prepared at your table.)

Agree Chris.  Why would anybody be offended?  Unless this morphs into a tipping thread.  Then anything can happen!😊

[Caribbean Chris]

30 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Agree Chris.  Why would anybody be offended?  Unless this morphs into a tipping thread.  Then anything can happen!😊

Well, I didn’t want to insult my fellow cruise critic people by implying that they wouldn’t already do that. 😃
 

Sometimes newer cruisers appreciate suggestions here and there. Many years ago I worked for a high-end cruise line and employees could arrange for a 75% discount for parents if space was available. After their first cruise, my father was extolling the services of the Maitre d’ who provided them with a table for two they asked about (quite rare in those days and usually held as an option for suite passengers) and I asked him how much he tipped to thank him. “Oh, was I supposed to do that??”
To his credit, the Maitre d’ warmly welcomed him by name when they arrived at the MDR on their next cruise and offered the same two-top table. So Dad had a chance to adjust his omission.

[K12Guy]

On 7/14/2021 at 7:34 PM, 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 !!!

This goes counter to everything I've experienced or heard about Luminae. What is the background story? Was that told to you after two weeks of special request meals, every day?

What was the result when you told the Hotel Manager about this?

[wr2next]

My wife has severe reaction to garlic.   When we made our cruise reservation we stated that.   When we came into Luminae the first night, the head chef can out told us what on the menu had garlic in it and then also suggest a couple of alternatives to the menu that he was happy to make as a substitute.   He did that every time we came in.  It was awesome!   He could not have been nicer or more accommodating.   He also came out to see how she enjoyed her meal (it was spectacular everytime). The staff of Luminae and the kitchen folks we all awesome.   So while we did not specifically ask for any custom meals, they did customize many meal for us.   The experience solidified our making suite reservations everytime we are on Celebrity.

[wrk2cruise]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

I don't think we will overwhelm the Luminae staff either now (with reduced passenger capacity) or in the future.

 

Bad assumption.  Suites are being booked 100% even when the entire ship is at 60%.   I was on the 7/3 Edge sailing which was at 58%.  100% of the suites were booked and some more than double occupancy.  Luminae was very crowded.   They said this week was sold out as well.   I heard a report on the Summit where there were only 400 passengers onboard but suites were sold out.

 

Looked at Edge  and Equinox sailings for July and August and there is very little suite inventory available.

[K12Guy]

14 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Bad assumption.  Suites are being booked 100% even when the entire ship is at 60%.   I was on the 7/3 Edge sailing which was at 58%.  100% of the suites were booked and some more than double occupancy.  Luminae was very crowded.   They said this week was sold out as well.   I heard a report on the Summit where there were only 400 passengers onboard but suites were sold out.

 

Looked at Edge  and Equinox sailings for July and August and there is very little suite inventory available.

I think it's very common for Suite class staterooms (The Retreat) to normally be sold out. The Move Up program helps fill all those staterooms at additional profit, thus leaving the lower level staterooms to be sold once again due to their lower cost.

Not to mention the superior service we get in The Retreat class staterooms and amenities.