Celebrity Constellation dining questions

[Doribeans]

Hi;

I'll be on the Connie for her 15-day transatlantic, Rome to Tampa. I'm a solo cruiser.

 

I've been on 3 cruises (HAL, NCL and Carnival). This will be my first time on Celebrity, my first TA and my first cruise over 7 days long.

 

I wouldn't consider myself a foodie, though I did cook professionally at one point. I'd say on a cruise I'm a graze at the casual options throughout the day type person, rather than a sit-down dinner in the MDR and reservations at specialty restaurants for three meals a day type of gal. When I'm home I'm very much a sit-down dinner type gal, but not, it seems on a boat!

 

I'm staying in a regular OV cabin, no Luminae or Blu for me. It seems that there are 3 specialty restaurants (Qsine/Le Petit Chef, Sushi on Five, Tuscan Grille) and 4 casual options (MDR, Oceanview Cafe which I assume is the buffet, the Mast Grill and the Spa Cafe) on the Connie. There is also the Cafe/Gelato place and room service.

 

Which of these options is my all-day long, late nights dining option?

Do the food options rotate enough in the buffet and MDR to keep me from being bored on a 15day/9seaday journey? I'd say the Carnival cruise I went on would have bored me if there had only been the buffet, but they have a number of casual options (Deli, Pizza, Blue Iguana, Guy Fieri, Fish Shack) to intersperse with the Buffet and MDR to keep things okay.

Are the Mast Grill and Spa Cafe open most of the day or just special hours?

 

In addition, the specialty dining package options seem weird to me. I assume you can't get into Luminae or Blu with it and the Celebrity website shows Sushi on 5 as A La Carte (even though the sample menus show a Prix Fixe Lunch and Prix Fixe Dinner). So that means that if you did specialty dining package your only two options are the Grille and Qsine? Is that correct? Or is Sushi on Five and one of the restricted access restaurants also available?

 

I'm nervous that I'm going to be bored of the food quickly and have to change my eating patterns around the ship's schedule rather than mine.

 

Appreciate any thoughts you might have...

 

[neminem]

On our last cruise (not on the Constellation, but another Millennium-class ship), a decent amount of the buffet was the same every day, but some also changed. Funny enough, their Indian food at the buffet ended up being the surprise winner, buffet-wise. We would probably have gone a little crazy if we'd only eaten at the buffet, though? I'm confused why you would want to avoid the MDR - Tuscan Grille is exceptionally good, but honestly, so is the MDR food. Far and away the best "free" food on the ship. 

 

No idea about your questions about the dining packages, but I can confirm that Sushi on 5 is a la carte, also pretty mediocre compared to sushi you can get in LA! (Good cocktails, though.) And that Tuscan Grille and Qsine are the only upgrade dinner restaurants on a Millennium-class ship. Tuscan Grille is still one of the best restaurants we've eaten at, but again, so is the MDR food, so we generally eat at one upgraded restaurant one night, and the MDR the rest of the cruise (and are always sad about missing the MDR menu the night we do the upgraded dinner, because that's also where all the creativity and most of the daily change goes!)

 

You know you can show up any time the MDR is open and ask for a table, right? 🙂 (You might have to wait a little while if it's right during the dinner rush, but they'll give you a buzzer and you can take it to a bar!)

Edited August 28, 2022 by neminem

[Doribeans]

Thank you neminem;

I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

 

From what I've read I'm sure the MDR is quite good food, its more that I really am a creature of convenience, even a short wait would have me frustrated.

 

I also don't really like to plan ahead for much of anything including when I want to eat - maybe on a transatlantic with so many sea days that will be different - maybe I will settle into a routine that will make sense. This is my first cruise transoceanic cruise with majority sea days, so I'm a little unsure how I will take to it.

 

Since I wrote my questions I've seen people note that the Oceanview cafe is open pretty much 24-hours a day with some kind of snack - that makes me feel a little better about ability to pick up a snack when I feel like it. Also I can just ask for room service in the middle of the night if I want cookies and milk!

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, Doribeans said:

I'm sure the MDR is quite good food, its more that I really am a creature of convenience, even a short wait would have me frustrated.

 

If you do not put yourself in a situation when you may have to wait in order to dine in the MDR, then, you need to reserve fixed seating dining and not open seating.